Gratitude Wisdom Leader: Robert Emmons, PhD
Advice on practicing gratitude from one of the world’s leading experts on gratitude.
Robert Emmons, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and the founding editor-in-chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology.
As Lynne Snead and I began to create the gratitude workbook we wanted to use, we knew it needed to have a solid foundation based both in ancient wisdom and current science. We decided to dedicate a page each week to some of the many leaders who have deeply explored the field of gratitude and who changed our thinking about how the mind works.
As we surveyed the field, it was clear that Robert Emmons was one of the leading researchers and writers about the practice of gratitude. Here are some of his words:
“The best way to reap the benefits of gratitude is to notice new things you’re grateful for every day. Gratitude journaling works because it slowly changes the way we perceive situations by adjusting what we focus on. While you might always be thankful for your great family, just writing ‘I’m grateful for my family’ week after week doesn’t keep your brain on alert for fresh grateful moments.”
“Opening your eyes to more of the world around you can deeply enhance your gratitude practice. Make a game out of noticing new things each day.”
“Our relationships with others are the greatest determinant of our happiness. So it makes sense to think of other people as we build our gratitude.”
Emmons suggests that focusing our gratitude on people for whom we are thankful rather than circumstances or material items will enhance the benefits we experience.
We love your “hearts” and please feel free to share this post if you think any of your friends and family would like it.
And if you would like to see other Gratitude Mojo posts, click here:
In good times and challenging ones, practicing gratitude helps us recognize the good things in our lives and build resilience for the challenges that come our way. Gratitude journaling is one of the best ways to better understand yourself and deepen your practice of gratitude.
Gratitude Mojo, the workbook/journal we are biased toward, is designed to guide you to a better life, in whatever way you define it. It comes as a printable pdf with paid subscriptions … and also includes a copy you can gift to a friend. We’ll write more about the transformative process of doing this work with a friend in future posts.
Before I give a person a gratitude card (Thoughtfulls from Amazon) I go deep inside to check if I am really feeling grateful to that person, then I know I have feelings of gratitude about what they did. It's a very personal gift. And often, when they read the spiritual saying inside the card, they express gratitude back to me. Its a win win interaction :)
Take Emmon's advice one step further. See new elements to appreciate about those familiar person's around you. Avoid categorizing people you know, especially those you dislike. Be curious, and complimentary as you are more aware.