These are some the top experts in the field who identify gratitude as one of the keys to happiness - and essential to happiness.
Researchers are finding that individuals who exhibit and express the most gratitude are happier, healthier, and more energetic.
Gratitude was found to be rated among the top 5 personal “strengths” in a survey of 24 strengths given in 40 countries (Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2005).
THE EXPERTS
Catherine Carter, answering "if she could pick one thing that will make them happier, what will that be?" .Catherine Carter believes gratitude is the way to increase your level of happiness. Catherine also mentions in her article that gratitude is to an extent the opposite of feelings of entitlement. When you feel entitled, we are often disappointed, we feel that e have been left out or left behind, that we have come short or have been done by rather than we cherish what we have; to be grateful for what we have been blessed with.
Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness. He noticed that when an individual had an insufficient appreciation of good events, and an overemphasis of bad or unfortunate experiences, it greatly undermined their serenity, contentment and satisfaction with life. counting your blessings
When asked to write down five things for which they felt grateful for, once a week, for 10 weeks in a row, exciting results emerged. Students reported feeling less stressed, more content, optimistic and satisfied with their life. These were similar to findings of other researchers, which showed that participants who counted their blessings on a regular basis became happier as a result.Even more interesting, when Dr. Seligman than asked his student to write gratitude letters to significant individuals in their lives, and conduct gratitude visits where they read those letters out loud to the recipients, it fostered not only increased feelings of joy, but also a closer meaning and pleasure derived from the relationship.
It would appear that counting our blessings on a regular basis can improve our moods and overall level of happiness and health, but expressing that appreciation to others will do so even more. And the good news is that noticing, appreciating and expressing our feelings for life’s little blessings can produce just as much benefit as noticing the monumental moments.
Barbara Frederickson, Positivity
Tal Beh-Shahar, Happier
Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How Of Happiness
Robert Emmons, a gratitude expert and professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis
He has just published Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, an interdisciplinary book that provides a research-based synthesis of the topic as well as practical suggestions. "First, the practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%. Second, this is not hard to achieve — a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more. Third, that cultivating gratitude brings other health effects, such as longer and better quality sleep time."
Dalai Lama, The Art Of Happiness
Michael McCullough, a leading gratitude researcher, University of Miami psychologist
Meister Eckhart, also reflected with elegance on the subject. "If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you,' that would suffice," Eckhart wrote.
Albert Einstein said that, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
______________________
"To me, the key to happiness is wanting what you have, rather than having what you want."
What this means is that I am satisfied with what I have, what I do, who I associate with. I don't spend my time seeking the next best thing. I spend my time appreciating what I have.
It's not hard to get there. You will need two things: a pencil and paper.
At the top of the paper write: "Things I am Grateful For" and then start making a list. As your list grows, you will automatically feel your satisfaction and happiness increase. Be grateful for everything, small and large: for butterflies and clouds and being able to breathe. For the cool of the breeze on a hot day, and the warmth of the sun in the middle of winter.
Give it a try. You'll feel happier by the time you are done."
______________________
Since then, I've come to the conclusion that gratitude is not a function of either abundance or scarcity. Rather, it is an approach to living.
Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, appreciating the people in your life, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle.
Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present.
