Gratitude

It is good, and good for us.

This month, I thought we’d take a break from our tour through the deadly vices, and focus a bit on gratitude.

In his excellent little book, The Character Gap, philosopher Christian Miller considers several vital questions related to character and human flourishing. In a chapter that explores the question, "Why bother developing good character?" Miller discusses the role that gratitude can play in becoming good. He also explores how becoming good is good for us.

The positive effects of gratitude

When we are grateful, or better, have the virtue of gratitude, there are positive consequences for our overall health, work satisfaction, general mood, level of optimism, and overall satisfaction in life.

192 undergraduate students participated in a study by Robert Emmons, of the University of California - Davis. The students were put into 3 groups. The first group — the gratitude condition group — was asked to think about the past week and write down up to 5 things they were grateful for. The second group — the hassle condition group — was asked to write down 5 things in the past week that irritated them, about work, relationships, money, school, or anything else that jumped to mind. The third group was the control group. They were asked to simply record events in their lives. Each group did this 10 times over the course of the semester.

The results were very interesting. Miller describes them:

Students in the gratitude group on average rated their lives during the past week much higher than did the students in the other two groups. Same with their expectations for the week ahead. Strikingly, they also reported fewer symptoms of illness than did their peers in the other groups, and compared to the hassle group, they claimed to excercise 1.5 additional hours per week! These are important benefits indeed.

Miller is quick to point out that we shouldn't seek to be virtuous, to be a person of gratitude, courage, compassion, etc. just for the benefits that we will receive. Rather, we should see these personal benefits as welcome byproducts of having good character. If we don't experience these benefits in particular circumstances, that's regrettable but acceptable, because they aren't the only or even a primary reason for seeking to cultivate virtue. But when we experience the benefits, which we often will, we should welcome them as a wonderful byproduct of a life well-lived.

A gratitude exercise

I'd like to leave you with an action point. Why not take a few minutes now, and write down 10 things that you are grateful for in life? It could include large and significant things, like a deep friendship, a meaningful career, or a flourishing spiritual life. But it can include more everyday things as well. A good cup of coffee in the morning, a favorite song, or a good book are all worthy of gratitude, too. Lately I’m coming to enjoy some jazz classics - music from Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and others - something I never really enjoyed before but am now appreciating more and more.

You won't get the benefits without taking a few minutes to actually complete the exercise. So carve out a few minutes today, and see what the impact of this practice is for you. Share your list with someone, especially if they are on it! And maybe try to do it once a week for the next 6 weeks or so, then see what sort of changes the practice brings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash