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Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier
The first major study of gratitude that shows how “wanting what we have” can measurably change people’s lives.
Did you know that there is a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked? Robert Emmons—editor-in-chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology—examines what it means to think and feel gratefully in Thanks! and invites readers to learn how to put this pow...more
Did you know that there is a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked? Robert Emmons—editor-in-chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology—examines what it means to think and feel gratefully in Thanks! and invites readers to learn how to put this pow...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
August 6th 2007
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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I loved the concept of this book. The mere title made me smile and the topic is dear to me. I cannot express here how grateful I am for the blessings I have in life and I know that I should demonstrate that gratitude far more often. The book itself is good, but a bit redundant, so I cannot call it great.
I thought the material was well-researched and the anecdotes were interesting, but overall, the book didn't really draw me in; it felt more like a scientific research paper than an engaging stor...more
I thought the material was well-researched and the anecdotes were interesting, but overall, the book didn't really draw me in; it felt more like a scientific research paper than an engaging stor...more
Emmons serendipitiously began to study gratitude during a conference on the classical sources of human strength: wisdom, hope, love, spirituality, gratitude, humility; he signed up for humility but was assigned gratitude. Emmons was surprised to find that by practicing gratitude, people can increase their happiness. Apparently, the brain can not experience both negative and positive emotions at the same time. Emmons proposes ten ways for adults to practice gratitude: keeping a gratitude journal;...more
Cultivating gratitude is a great idea and I like this guy's take on it--enthusiastic. Two things were big red flags to me about his research--one, he esposuses Whorfian linguistics (by that I mean linguistic determinism, or "your vocabulary determines your altitude)...and that's been roundly panned, c'mon! Also, he makes the age-old argument that "boys like pornography, and girls like romance novels," which is crap. Otherwise a good read.
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Robert Emmons is a psychologist who studies gratitude scientifically. He's also a Christian with a religious commitment to gratitude as a spiritual practice, which may annoy people with a commitment to a non-religious worldview. (He does give almost equal airtime to non-Christian religions, though.)
In an accessible style peppered with quotations from philosophers, theologians and writers, Emmons discusses scientific findings on how the practice of gratitude can improve happiness and health, and...more
In an accessible style peppered with quotations from philosophers, theologians and writers, Emmons discusses scientific findings on how the practice of gratitude can improve happiness and health, and...more
I'm actually surprised, given the subject matter of this book, that I didn't enjoy it more than I did. However, despite being a short book (it's only just over 200 pages excluding footnotes), it was not a quick read: as one of my status updates said, it felt not unlike wading through treacle at various points.
Don't get me wrong, there's good material in here. Yes, it's important to understand how and why gratitude is important (that part of the book was 'preaching to the choir' for me), and it's...more
Don't get me wrong, there's good material in here. Yes, it's important to understand how and why gratitude is important (that part of the book was 'preaching to the choir' for me), and it's...more
There is always some real or imagined pleasure that stands in the way of the happiness of the ungrateful person.
There is not much we can usually do to change circumstances except by adapting to them, bu we can change the way we intentionally react to them.
One is never lacking in opportunities to be happy; we can achieve control over our natural tendencies to make comparisons, to take things for granted and to feel entitled.
If a person's attention is consistently devoted to things they do not ha...more
There is not much we can usually do to change circumstances except by adapting to them, bu we can change the way we intentionally react to them.
One is never lacking in opportunities to be happy; we can achieve control over our natural tendencies to make comparisons, to take things for granted and to feel entitled.
If a person's attention is consistently devoted to things they do not ha...more
I wouldn't say Thanks! is particularly deep or insightful and it doesn't cover the 'scientific' aspect of gratitude and how it affects humanity etc. It uses a lot of the anecdotes, which I'm not fond of, though for a book on so subjective a subject there's little else to do.
As a Christian, I find it odd to say this, but for the kind of book this is, I was surprised by the emphasis on Christianity-related gratitude a little disconcerting--perhaps because it purported to be a scientific analysis....more
As a Christian, I find it odd to say this, but for the kind of book this is, I was surprised by the emphasis on Christianity-related gratitude a little disconcerting--perhaps because it purported to be a scientific analysis....more
Ein bisschen esoterisch mutet der Titel schon an. Im Klappentext heißt es: Man solle dankbar durchs Leben gehen, schöne Momente des Alltags würdigen und Mitmenschen Anerkennung zollen. Da ist man gespannt, was die Lektüre bringt. Dankbarkeit, heisst es gleich zu Beginn, könne das Leben eines Menschen messbar verändern (8). Hier fällt auch gleich das Wort von der positiven Psychologie. Ihr geht es um die Erforschung der positiven Aspekte des menschlichen Lebens und Miteinanders, "die das Leben ge...more
This book really made me think about how important it is to be grateful and to show gratitude and how much of a positive impact gratitude can have on your life. I actually ended up purchasing it after reading it from the library, but I'm worried my book may be lost in the mail somewhere, because it's not arrived yet.
Anyway, it really changed my outlook on life in a positive way and made me want to be a more optimistic person.
Anyway, it really changed my outlook on life in a positive way and made me want to be a more optimistic person.
Emmons' Thanks! is much more science-oriented than I expected. I should have been queued in by the "New Science of Gratitude" bit. Essentially, the entire 200+ pages are one gigantic argument for the thesis that a grateful mindset can improve an individual's overall happiness. Emmons' thesis is supported by the studies and theories of behavioral scientists, philosophers, and sociologists, and he cites hundreds of various case studies--including ones that he himself conducted--on the subject of g...more
Really enjoyed this book. It does get heavy at times with seemingly too much science which may be necessary for some readers. The section on religion was brief, and though I was skeptical reading through it I was pleasantly surprised at how it covered a variety of religions and even included a section for the non-religious.
Overall a great read.
Overall a great read.
Although this book is a little difficult/tedious to wade through (much of it simply summarizes scientific experiments that have been done on 'gratitude'), I found it fascinating. Some of the studies are so surprising - for example, the study that shows that having gratitude may help minimize pain.
If you already believe gratitude is important and want to skip all the studies, the last two chapters are practical application. The first talks about obstacles to overcome - things that make it difficu...more
If you already believe gratitude is important and want to skip all the studies, the last two chapters are practical application. The first talks about obstacles to overcome - things that make it difficu...more
Full of information and references to research studies about gratitude. Obviously most of us probably know we should be more grateful and this book really reinforces the reasons why. It also ends with 10 ways that you can begin a gratitude practice, including keeping a gratitude journal.
This is not just sweetness and light, it has real science to back up its claims that living in gratitude can change your life. He also presents practices to help you grow in your thinking. I am very grateful to have found this book. I will look for more like it to keep me on track.
This was a good read overall and came along at just the right time - as I read this I was keeping a gratitude journal where every evening I would write down three things I was grateful for. I was not a fan of the chapter on religion.
Dec 16, 2009
Christina
added it
I read this pretty soon after I read "The Secret." It ties into an overall gratefulness that is generally lacking in our culture. I pick it up just to remind myself that it's so important to realize all of the blessings that we have...
Nice positive psychology book, though I didn't learn too much new. A lot of focus was on writing out gratitudes, which I already do. I enjoyed reading the book, though.
A wonderful reference and possibly a way to break yourself out of a funk. Give yourself a chance to be thankful for what you've got...
I am enjoying the scientific analysis of Graditude. I need to practice what I read.
Jun 26, 2011
Relyn
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like statstics, master's thesises and the like
Recommended to Relyn by:
one of my magazines
Shelves:
just-couldn-t-finish-it
Ick! OK, I am a person who practices gratitude. A lot. Daily. It's a personal discipline for me, for my family. I love the idea of gratitude and counting your blessings. So, I was very excited about this book. Boring, deadly dull, scholarly... ICK! He took a life changing idea and make it dry science. Not for me, thanks.
It took me longer then expected to finish the book, but it was extremely beneficial for me. I because a lot more aware of the good things in my life rather than the negative. I actually say 'Thank You' a lot more as well. Life is much more livable when you only focus on what you have and be grateful for it instead of always telling yourself you will only be happy if you obtain something else.
I think I would have liked this better as an academic paper than as a book. I really like some of the concepts and discoveries described in the book, but it started to feel repetitive as I got further into the book. Read the first couple of chapters and you'll learn all you need to know from this author. It's definitely some great stuff to think about!
I kept this book on my desk for most of the summer. It was gifted to me several years ago by my former minister's wife. It was a nice compliment to 1000 Gifts, the best book I've read this year. While this book is more clinical in nature as part of a study on thanks, it is loaded with quotes and tidbits you want to read and re-read. Another lesson that a thankful life is a happy life!
Meh.
That could be my whole review but I will enlarge a bit.
The author takes a mostly scientific look at the importance and effect of being thankful.
It's good, btw, in case you were confused about that.
That could be my whole review but I will enlarge a bit.
The author takes a mostly scientific look at the importance and effect of being thankful.
It's good, btw, in case you were confused about that.
I read most of this book but found it to be so boring.
Since most of us are trained to be thankful, this book might seem superfluous. However, this book offers scientific proof that gratitude is good for your health and recommends disciplines toward greater gratefullness. I liked the chapter about "Gratitude in TryingTimes." I found noteworthy to see ingratitude described as a vice or sin.
Sometimes I am impressed by a person's ability to take us through thousands of words on such a topic (gratitude). Yes, it's important to be grateful; but are we so simple as to not understand the effect "thankfulness" has on each of us? Is it really a "new science?" I would say not.
Nov 07, 2007
Chanita.Shannon
added it
I read parts of it and the content was good, but I wasn't in the mood for it's scientific slant. I'll probably read the whole thing some other time.
For passages and a quote I liked from this book, see: http://quotes-passages.livejournal.co...
For passages and a quote I liked from this book, see: http://quotes-passages.livejournal.co...
This book said the same thing over and over. Gratitude is a good thing. I liked the distinction Emmons makes between feeling grateful and being grateful. Living gratefully is a choice; it is especially important to make that choice during times of stress.
Ok, ok. So really this was nothing more than another pop psychology book. But, I feel in love with a few of the quotes and it captured my heart and instilled me with a good bit of gratitude for an entire week. And for that, I am thankful. (Pun intended)
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Oct 18, 2011 12:23pm