Want to be happier? You don't need more stuff
Anthony Sanni on how the practice can make us happier and more productive
Prefer to read? See the transcript below. Note: The transcript has been modified to make it easier to read. Hope it helps!
Do you want to be happier? That sounds like a silly question. Of course, you do. Most people want to be happier. The problem is in how we go about achieving that happiness.
You see, the modern world tries to tell us that to be happier, we need to go out and get more stuff that we don't have. And then we'd be happier. If we just got that new house, that we don't have, or that new car that we don't have, or that new partner, that new credential, that new job, that new fill-in-the-blank that we don't have... then we'd be happier.
But modern research in the field of positive psychology is now proving scientifically, something that ancient wisdom has been teaching us for hundreds, if not thousands of years. And that is simply this: Happiness, greater happiness does not lie in getting more stuff that we want, but it lies instead in wanting and appreciating the stuff that we already have, i.e. gratitude.
Gratitude Boosts Happiness Research
Dr Robert Emmons
One of the world-renowned researchers in this field of gratitude, Dr. Robert Emmons, shows in his research that people who practice gratitude, even for a short amount of time, see their baseline for happiness increase by up to 25%.
This is significant because leading up to this, people had always thought, scientists had thought that our baseline for happiness is fixed at birth. You get what you get and you don't get upset. Except in this case, you get what you get and you tend to get upset if you're not naturally a happy person. What we're learning is that you can shift that baseline again by as high as 25%. And what does this have to do with productivity?
Well, happier people are more productive, they enjoy their jobs, their lives more. And they just generally have a better time of this thing called life. And who wouldn't want that?
And maybe the best part is gratitude is completely free. You don't need to acquire anything you don't already have to be more grateful. So, let's talk about gratitude - It's benefits, how you could develop more gratitude and some of the roadblocks to developing and improving your, what I call your GRATITUDE APTITUDE. Let's get into it.
The Annual Thanksgiving Tradition is not enough
Hi, my name is Anthony Sanni, and on #beenthinking I share productivity and personal development insights to help you achieve your best in life, career and business.
And this video is being recorded smack dab in the middle of the two national holidays for Thanksgiving in Canada and the United States. But it's not just Canada and the U.S. who celebrate some kind of Thanksgiving holiday or festival. All over the world, from the Chuseok festival in South Korea to the Dia de Acao de Gracas in Brazil. To Nigeria, Liberia, Barbados. And even in Iran, the Mehregan Festival has been celebrated since the fourth century B.C. All these festivals and holidays are around the concept of thanksgiving. Clearly, as a species, we appreciate the value of these annual celebrations of gratitude.
But on a personal level, celebrating or practising gratitude once a year and expecting to get all its benefits is like going to the gym once a year and expecting to get six pack abs. It's not going to happen. It's just not going to happen. So, stick around, we'll get to the practices to help you develop gratitude so that you can benefit from it. But first of all, let's talk about exactly what those benefits are.
Benefits of gratitude according to science
While the research points to numerous benefits, there are three in particular that I find interesting and I think you'll find interesting as well.
1. A happiness pill? Increased happiness and increase in the baseline of happiness.
In his research paper, brilliantly titled Counting Blessings versus Burdens, Dr. Emmons, who we met earlier, shows how over the course of three studies, people who are primed or trained in observing blessings, in other words, observing the things that were positive in their lives, i.e. becoming more grateful, outperformed people who were trained or directed to observe the negatives, the burdens, and also outperform people who were just neutral in most of the criteria of the criteria of well-being. Specifically in the area of what they describe as positive affect, i.e. happiness.
What's really interesting about Dr. Emmons findings is that within a very short time of practicing gratitude, the benefits of increased happiness and well-being go on for months. Just three weeks of practicing gratitude showed positive effects up to six months afterward.
If there was a pill that you could take for three weeks that kept you feeling good for up to six months, I think we'd be standing in line to buy that pill. You don't need a pill. You just need and I just need a practice of gratitude.
2. Better Social Connections
The other benefit is some of the participants in this research study went on to report that they enjoyed better social relationships and social connections after having been primed or trained in the thoughts of counting blessings.
This might be because gratitude opens us up to the understanding that we depend on each other for everything that we enjoy life. As hard as it may be for some of us to admit, the truth is that there's really no such thing as a self-made person. Yes, you might have worked hard, got trained, but we all depend on each other. And the practice of gratitude might open our eyes to that so that we become better in our social connections and enjoy our social connections and our relationships a lot more.
3. Improved physical health
The third benefit of practising gratitude is actually physiological. Gratitude-the practice of gratitude has been shown in the research to improve people's sense of physical well-being, helping us sleep better. People who practice gratitude just before going to bed slept so much better and woke up so much more refreshed and had fewer headaches.
But enough of the benefits. Let's get to the practice of gratitude. What can you do? What can I do today? What can we start doing today to begin to reap the benefits of gratitude? And the thing is, simplicity itself.
All we have to do is just build gratitude into our regular routine. And the easiest, most effective way and the most efficient way to do that is just to keep a gratitude journal.
A simple but effective happiness boosting practice—Gratitude Journaling
A gratitude journal is simply book in which you write the things that you're grateful for. I like to use a dedicated journal. It's called the Five-Minute Journal. But you don't need something this specific. Any good old notebook will do.
Simply write down two to three things every day that you are grateful for. And the key is not just in writing it down, it's in really getting into it, getting into the feeling.
Also, vary what you write—don’t just focus on the big things like health, happiness, love, joy, having a job. Those things are fantastic. But after a few days you're going to find yourself being challenged to think deeper about what you're grateful for. And they can even be the little things.
Let me read to you some of the ones in my journal. Okay, let's see. On August th, , I said, “I'm grateful for my camera and air conditioning.”
That makes sense. It was August it must have been blazing hot out here in Calgary...
“I’m grateful for muscle recovery.”
I must have been hurting after a really tough workout.
I think there's another entry where I just wrote “I'm grateful for coffee.” Maybe you can relate.
I've been doing this for about two years now, and every time I've done it consistently, I have seen huge boosts in my sense of well-being and interestingly, in my creativity as well. Because remember, there's a strong link between gratitude, happiness and creativity and by extension, productivity.
Even if you don't write it in a physical book and you use a digital format, the practice itself is where the magic really lies. So I encourage you give this one a shot and I think you'll be happy you did.
Pitfalls to gratitude
So now that we know about the benefits of gratitude and how to begin to practice gratitude, I want to warn you about some of the pitfalls, some of the traps that might block you from enjoying gratitude or from practicing gratitude. And there are two big ones that I want you to be aware of.
Negative Comparison
One of the biggest enemies to being grateful for what we have is comparing ourselves with what other people have. And often when we make that mistake, we compare ourselves often to people who have got ahead of us, people who have been doing what we want to do for longer, people who are bigger, richer, more good looking. And that is the fastest way to kill gratitude and its benefits.
If you must compare yourself, compare yourself to who you were before. See how far you've come, how much you've improved from who you used to be, and be grateful for the progress you've made. This will boost your gratitude instead of diminishing it.
2. Consumer Culture
The number two trap is buying into the hype of getting more stuff. It's all around us, especially if you live in North America. You're bombarded with ads, billboards of the shiniest new thing. And what does that do to you? It reminds you of just how bad, subpar or crappy the things you have are.
Oh, if only you had that new jacket, then this jacket wouldn’t look so bad?
If only you had that new hair, then this hair wouldn't look so bad.
And on and on it goes…
I made a video about the impact of “new”... if you have time, check out that video. But even if you don't, the point is when you focus on what you don't have, which is what corporations want you to do so they can sell you stuff, you stop being grateful for what you do have.
Don’t get me wrong... Nothing wrong with buying things that you need. But as we do that, we don't necessarily have to buy into the negativity of being ungrateful at the same time. You can do both, be grateful and still get the stuff that you need. That's all I'm saying.
Practical, Tactical gratitude
So! Hopefully at this point I've convinced you to adopt gratitude, to increase your GRATITUDE APTIITUDE, to see the daily practice of gratitude as something that's not just pie in the sky... It's a practical thing you would do much like how you would exercise your physical body for more strength... or your mind by reading for more intellectual power... you can exercise your positive emotions through gratitude to help you become happier and to help you become more fulfilled.
My challenge to you this week is to keep a gratitude journal, physical or digital, for a whole week, and see how it helps improve your state of mind. And maybe you too will be reaping the benefits for months to come. I am still Anthony Sanni. Encouraging you as always - Be your best. Do your best. Focus on the things you are grateful for.
If you enjoyed this video, I think you will like this one. Click on it, give it a watch and consider subscribing to my channel as well.
Until then, bye for now.
