Gratitude Interventions

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Positive Psychology

This article represents an introduction into the new field of Positive Psychology and research into Gratitude as a field of study. The discovery that active intervention, using gratitude interventions, can increase happiness is exciting for those who decide they want to be happier. Furthermore, such interventions have been documented to benefit people suffering from clinical depresion.

Background

Theory and Interventions

Positive Psychology is a relatively new field in psychology, having been founded about 10 years ago, which has, as one of its study projects, research into what makes us "happy". As with other research in psychology, it is highly subjective as it is based upon studies into peoples responses as to how they are feeling. We have all had days in which we weren't quite sure how we felt and so you can imagine some of the difficulties encountered in this research. Having said that, however, many methods have been developed so as to gain insight and quantify information within the subjective field of psychology.

To begin with, there are a number of definitions of the state of "Happiness", ranging from the absence or avoidance of pain and maximizing pleasure to life satisfaction. I will be posting a more comprehensive summary of this material in a future "Page", see you might want to bookmark this site.

Components to Happiness

Three areas of contribution

The benefits of happiness are abundant and, for virtually all of us, desirable. Sheldon and Lyubomirsky (2007) have defined an equation for Subjective Well Being (SWB), as follows:

SWBt = B0(set point) + B1(effects of circumstances) + B2(effects of activity) + error

The first term (B0) is the Set point, which comprises the major contributor to SWB and consists of the genetic component defining happiness. Some individuals have an optimistic disposition whereas others are pessimistic. The genetic component ranges between 40% and 70%, averaging 50%, and is considered difficult to change.

The second term (B1), comprises life circumstances, consisting of such items as financial situation, age, education, social standing and class. These items vary between those we might change (education, financial situation) to those we can do nothing about (i.e. age). Surprisingly, this term contributes only about 10% to the SWB result.

Therefore, the third term (B2), or Intentional Activity, contributes (on average) 40% to our Subjective Well Being. As such, we have the opportunity to make "interventions" in our lives so as to increase our levels of happiness.

Interventions

Examples

Examples of such interventions include (but are not limited to) (modified from Lyubomirsky 2008):

  • Keeping a "Gratitude Journal"

  • Engaging in Intentional Acts of Kindness

  • Counting Your Blessings

  • Visualizing a "Perfect Day" in which everything goes right, as planned

  • Intentionally developing a spirit of Optimism

  • Practicing forgiveness of others

  • Investing time and effort in developing your personal relationships

  • Savouring Life's Joys

  • Investing in your Spirituality

  • Committing to your Goals

  • Healthy Lifestyle with Exercise and Rest, with meditation and smiling


A qualifying statement with regard to these interventions is to engage in those that:

  1. You can perform effortlessly and successfully,

  2. are consistent with your personality (i.e. self-concordant"), and

  3. can be coninually varied in space and time.

Hedonic Adaptation

Diminishing the Effectiveness of Interventions

This last qualifier warrants further explanation. Those activities in which you may choose to engage should be varied regqard to both the time in which you perform them and the location. Research has identified "Hedonic Adaptation", a process by which we become accustomed to something and through which these interventions loose their benefit.

For example, making grateful entries in your Gratitude Journal every day at 3 pm at your kitchen table results in the intervention becoming "routine" and commonplace. It has been found that 3-5 entries once a week provides more benefit than a single entry every day. Furthermore, increases in happiness arising from weekly entries were still evident at six months as compared to happiness increases arising from daily entries.

Summary

I believe the research into Gratitude, Happiness and Kindness (Positive Psychology) has begun to document a considerable array of benefits associated with an active program of self-intervention. I have gathered a considerable number of articles and research papers under the General Heading of "Positive Psychology", I plan on writing a more extensive Page (or series of Pages) in the near future.

These are, potentially, very powerful interventions - if you apply them. Consider them, try some with which you feel comfortable and let me know what you thnk. What successes / failures did you have?

Many of the classic books in the "Personal Development" genre are available on the Integrated Success Program web-site, with additional material available on the Integrated Success Program Blog.

Gratitude Interventions

What are your thoughts with regard to Positive Psychology and Gratitude Interventions to increase one's level of happiness?

Let us know your opinion.

  • RinchenChodron Jan 26, 2010 @ 8:51 am | delete
    Very nice Rick - five stars.
  • Dynamic1 Jan 26, 2010 @ 9:15 am | delete
    Thank you. I appreciate your feedback!

Further Reading

Additional Resources

The following articles present further material on the broad subject of Personal Development, with more material available on the Integrated Success Program blog.
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Additional References

Positive Psychology

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology more...0 points

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your more...0 points

The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard more...0 points

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification more...0 points

The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the more...0 points

Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier more...0 points

Integrated Success Program

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Integrated Success Program

Available Resources

The Integrated Success Program consists of an integrated set of resources, comprised of a web-site featuring the original, classic texts of classic authors, a blog site with a wealth of supporting material, a Yahoo Group and a Forum to provide forums for discussing the myriad of topics under the "Personal Development" theme.

Please feel free to leave your comments on this site (above) and make use of the other resources provided. I would sincerely love to hear from you, your opinions (Pro and Con) on my posts, thoughts, opinions and interpretations. I would love to initiate a dialogue in either or both of the forums.

Your input will only serve to improve this site, as well as the other resources provided.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Integrated Success Program web-site
WALKER ENTERPRISES has gathered many of the worlds classic, most sought after personal development, self-help, self - improvement and /or New Thought texts providing inspiration, insights, methods and/or personal success philosophies dedicated to improving your life as the initial component of our INTEGRATED SUCCESS PROGRAM. The wisdom contained in these texts is timeless, explaining why they are still so much in demand.

Integrated Success Program Blog
WALKER ENTERPRISES has developed the Integrated Success Program Blog in support of its INTEGRATED SUCCESS PROGRAM web-site. The blog is intended to provide supporting and background information on the many authors and their respective texts, as well as to provide a forum in which to present opinions, reviews and commentary to, and from, those seeking such information.

Integrated Success Program Forum
This Forum is dedicated to Personal Development in support of the Integrated Success Program web-site and the Integrated Success Program blog. The web-site contains many of the classic personal development texts, including Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" and "Law of Success", Charles Haanel's "The Master Key System" and the inspiration books of James Allen, including "As A Man Thinketh".

The Blog site provides a forum for distributing additional material, including YouTube video clips, articles and posts, pertaining to the broad field of Personal Development.

After exploring the content available in this forum, please visit the web-site and blog for further content.

Integrated Success Program Group on Yahoo
This group was created to discuss thoughts, opinions and interpretations originating, in part, from the classic personal development texts (James Allen, Charles Haanel, Napoleon Hill, etc.) and other related topics of interest (i.e. Law of Attraction, Creative Visualization).

Researching the power of the mind and, more specifically, the sub-conscious mind over the past twenty years has allowed me to discover of many gems of wisdom buried in these timeless texts, as well as more recently published texts. The recent release of "The Secret" has had the result of drawing considerable attention to the "LAW OF ATTRACTION", however, I believe the process underlying its application to one's life was missing from the movie.

Contrary to the hype attending release of "The Secret", the LAW OF ATTRACTION is not a recent discovery in metaphysics, nor has it been actively suppressed by the Church or hidden societies. It simply passed into relative obscurity through the passage of time. It has been, and remains, available to everyone who searches for it and is willing to actually apply it to their lives.

The formula is available, and is, in all likelihood, well known to most. In its simplest form, it was concisely summarized as follows:

Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened

Matthew 7:7 (Luke (11:9) NIV

In short, visualize your desired outcome, then take the appropriate action to receive its manifestation. ACTION is an integral, necessary part of the three part formula to realize (manifest) your desired outcome.

Recommended Texts

Personal Development

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Rick Walker

My Biography

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Dynamic1

I have been a student of personal development for over 25 years, with specific interest in the ability and latent power of the mind, particularly the subconscious.... more »

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