“Gratitude is an emotion that reflects our deep appreciation for what we value, what brings meaning to our lives, and what makes us feel connected to ourselves and others.”
“It appears that many of the emotions that are good for us – joy, contentment, and gratitude, to name a few – have appreciation in common.”*
Positive Psychology expert, Martin Seligman, PhD says that appreciation and gratitude can leave lasting positive effects as we savor the pleasant memories of a positive event in our lives and can strengthen our relationships with those to whom we express our gratitude. There is overwhelming evidence that gratitude is good for us physically, emotionally, and mentally. There is ample research showing that gratitude is correlated with better sleep, increased creativity, decreased entitlement, decreased hostility and aggression, increased decision- making skills, decreased blood pressure – the list goes on. A moment of gratitude at the beginning of a meal or at the end of the day is surprisingly effective in bringing a positive experience into our daily lives.
*Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart; Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience