Gratitude (And Your State of Being)

You know, you simply can't reiterate some of these things often enough. Gratitude has been shown - by Ivy League establishments like Harvard, Cornell, and Stanford, to be one of the easiest and best ways to consistently help yourself stay in a good place - like contentment.

Keep a gratitude journal...write down five things you are grateful for every day. Show your gratitude to others.

So of course, people are writing books about the subject. Here's one:

Mom was right! If you say thank you, for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you'll feel happy.

Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, is a crucial element of happiness. In his most recent book, Thanks! , Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom's point. In acknowledging and fostering this much-ignored expression of thankfulness, he illustrates how people have benefited -- even improved their health. Read entire article