So as many of you saw, yesterday Nautilus magazine ran my essay on the science of gratitude. Timed for Thanksgiving, naturally. nautil.us/issue/7/waste/the-science-of-gratitude But as I read the latest research on gratitude, I have to say, there was a lot more fascinating stuff in there than could fit in that essay. In Nautilus, I emphasized the research suggesting that gratitude appears to be an evolved trait to promote social behavior--but what I didnt say is that thats not entirely good news. Indeed, here’s where the most challenging and perhaps inconvenient aspects of gratitude research come in. In the scientific literature, gratitude isnt simply an emotion. It’s also a personality trait or disposition, defined as part of a wider life orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in the world. Ergo, some of us feel gratitude more often, and more deeply, than do others. Some of us live grateful lives, and some of us don’t. To put it bluntly, science says there really is such a thing as an ingrate, and that in fact, many of us are ingrates relative to the most sociable among us, for whom gratitude comes naturally. As a personality trait, gratitude runs stronger in those who are naturally very extraverted and agreeable—and runs exceedingly weak in those who are narcissistic. It closely accompanies (but is distinct from) emotions like empathy and trust. What this means is that if you’re a highly introverted person (as I happen to be) or generally not very empathetic, then you may also be gratitude challenged. You may not feel gratitude as naturally or as easily as many of your fellow homo sapiens. This is not necessarily your fault: Personalities are, in significant part, beyond our conscious control. But as with much psychological research, the easy availability of gratitude studies makes it a lot less challenging to look in the mirror and see your faults and limitations than it used to be. The information is out there, which means that if you never perceive a lack of gratitude in yourself, or never try to do anything about it—in short, if you live an emotionally and psychologically un-examined life—then you may have only yourself to blame. Not just because you arent getting along as well as you should with other people (no, you are not an island) but because the benefits of being more grateful are too big to pass up. In other words: Wake up, because when it comes to gratitude, some of us really have to work at it. So think to yourself: Are you really a grateful person? You probably already know the answer. But theres also an easy way to find out: Just go take the six item gratitude questionnaire that is at the center of much of this research. psychology.ucdavis.edu/Labs/PWT/Image/emmons/file/GQ-6-scoring-interp_08_10_11.pdf See how you score after you rate how much you agree with statements like this one: As I get older if find myself more able to appreciate the people, events, and situations that have been part of my life history. And then, see if you have a problem. If you do, then do what I did, as described in the essay. Start writing. Start thanking: Other people, God (if thats what you do), or the universe and your cosmic luck. But dont just do it once, do it regularly. Thats the gratitude intervention with the most science behind it, and it can be self-reinforcing. One thing that (of course) I didnt find in the gratitude literature is evidence that reading the gratitude literature makes you feel more grateful. After the experience, though, Im strongly betting that it does. Especially for those of us who need to intellectualize, first, in order to emotionalize later—to think about, not just feel, our blessings—learning what gratitude is and why its so vital to society can only impel more gratitude.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:20:09 +0000
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