Dr. Robert A. Emmons is a Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology. He has conducted studies on gratitude and thankfulness and the impact those feelings have on people.
In one long-term study, Dr. Emmons partnered with Dr. Michael McCullough, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. In setting up this research project, one of their goals was to develop methods to cultivate gratitude in one’s daily life, and to assess the effect gratitude had on one’s well-being.
What they found was that people who kept a gratitude journal they wrote in even only once a week, were more apt to exercise more, suffer less from physical problems, felt better about their lives in general, and began their week feeling good about themselves. This was in comparison with people in the study who wrote in a journal all of the negatives they had experienced during the week, and those who wrote about their experiences in a neutral manner, without any leaning toward those experiences being positive or negative.
The study also showed that those writing about all they were grateful for made greater progress in the goals they had set for themselves, when observed over a two month period, in comparison with the other two groups.
A daily gratitude intervention among young adults showed equally positive results as they were more attentive, more energized, more alert, and had greater enthusiasm and determination.
Others who wrote of their gratitude on a daily basis reported having helped or offered emotional support to someone else.
And in studying adults with neuromuscular disease over a 21-day period, those who kept daily gratitude journals said they felt more positive about their life, had higher energy, felt more connected to others, and were more optimistic. They also stated they had longer periods, and improved quality, of sleep.
Keeping a gratitude journal does not just change our thoughts. It changes the way we feel physically and emotionally, the progress we make in attaining our goals, and the way we react to others. Making such a commitment is one of the most effective ways we can nurture ourselves.
All it takes is a few moments a day to change your life. What a small investment for such positive results!
-Maureen Barberio
Grace of Gratitude Contributor

The things we can be be grateful for are multitudinous – there are truly a gazillion things about life to be grateful for. Following is a list of 99 things, in no particular order. And I invite you to add to this, or perhaps make your own list. Being in a state of thanksgiving promotes more joy and well-being and comfort in our lives!
1) Blazing orange and magenta sunsets
2) Quiet dawns in the darkness of early morning
3) Redwood trees
4) Exotic flowers like stargazer lilies and orchids
5) Sweet dogs and diffident cats
6) Comfy, warm home fires on a cold winter day
7) Neon-green newborn grass emerging in Spring
8) Supportive, loyal friends
9) Giving and receiving
10) Art in all its forms
11) Magical dusk
12) Sturdy strong oaks
13) Strong bodies that move us
14) The beauty of the feminine
15) The first Spring crocus rising up
16) Optimism
17) Positivity
18) Silliness
19) Gratitude!
20) Family, even the dysfunctional, which is most of us
21) Laughing till your tummy hurts
22) Deep emotion and passion
23) Our guides and angels
24) Turquoise
25) Walks in nature
26) A favorite song
27) Dancing madly
28) The golden light on nearby mountains
29) Big Bang Theory on TV
30) The Big Bang Theory of science
31) Infinity
32) Worlds upon worlds
33) Gentle, sensitive horses
34) A warm latte in winter
35) Clear deep rushing rivers
36) Swimming naked
37) Baby lambs, puppies, kitties
38) Food glorious food
39) Too many bubbles in a bubble bath
40) The smooth skin of youth
41) Goofy faces
42) Jack rabbits
43) Technology that connects the world
44) Pen and paper
45) Renoir, Matisse, Van Gogh
46) Pungent fragrances of lavender, rosemary, mint
47) Music to rock out to
48) Wisdom through the ages
49) Dalai Lama
50) Mother Teresa
51) Modern day mystics
52) Playtime especially when we are all grown up
53) Looking at the night sky
54) Watching a comet travel through the sky night after night
55) Unfurling of a fern frond
56) Water! Drinking it and knowing we are mostly made of it
57) The universal language of music
58) Yellow
59) Scurrying squirrels
60) The bustle and mix of animals, people, cars and bikes in India
61) Stretching our bodies
62) Hugs and kisses
63) Sharing with like-minded friends
64) The whole intricate, multi-layered systems of our bodies
65) Siblings through thick and thin
66) Loving, caring, nurturing mothers
67) Steady, sensible, hardworking fathers
68) Doting grandparents
69) The wonder of birth!
70) Peace, quiet, serenity
71) Cars that transport us
72) The United States with all its strengths and foibles
73) The brilliant, flashy extravaganza of Spring
74) The vast ocean – the waves and tides and immensity
75) The mystery and magic of life – all that we don’t understand
76) Scientists and mathematicians
77) Magenta
78) Routines we can count on
79) The fact that our world is spinning and we feel stable
80) Tropical islands
81) Belly dancing
82) Red
83) Melodious singers
84) The beat of drums
85) Enjoying a cool salad on a hot summer day
86) Honesty and forthrightness – people you can count on
87) Silent, exquisite snowfakes falling
88) Blue, and all the myriad of shades of it
89) Eyes that are a window to the soul
90) Smiles
91) Love – agape love, family love, self-love
92) The feeling of joy that upwells from within
93) The Earth’s incredible beauty
94) Purple
95) Other life in the universe that is undoubtedly there
96) Particles and waves dancing and disappearing
97) Confidence and Trust
98) Kind deeds and compassion
99) All the things left off this list…
Deborah Perdue, RScP, is the author of Grace of Gratitude Journal, www.graceofgratitude.com.
She teaches workshops, classes and retreats on the topics of gratitude, and bringing more joy and peace into our lives. She is also an accomplished book designer, www.illuminationgraphics.com
as well as a nature photographer.

1. Brilliant splashes of color against a bright blue backdrop of sky
2. Eating soup in carved out rounds of bread
3. Hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks
4. Turning off the air conditioner
5. Pumpkin flavored foods
6. Opened windows and cool breezes
7. Going apple picking
8. Halloween decorations
9. Sweaters, boots, vests and jackets
10. Planning for Thanksgiving
11. Steaming bowls of chili
12. The sound of leaves crunching below your feet
13. The smell of firewood burning in the air
14. Blankets and throws keeping us toasty warm
15. Spying busy squirrels finding the perfect spots to bury their winter feasts
16. Football games and tailgating
17. The smell of apple pie baking in the oven
18. Children and dogs jumping in piles of raked leaves
19. Watching birds as they fly south in perfect V-formation
20. Crisp temperatures that make us feel even MORE alive and vibrant
-Maureen Barberio
Grace of Gratitude Contributor