The 2-minute exercise to increase happiness by 25% (DW#624)
We have been hinting at how gratitude improves many markers of mental and emotional wellbeing. In everyday language, wellbeing markers simply mean how happy and satisfied you are.
Did you know that a very short practice of gratitude can boost our happiness levels by 25%?!
The very first study by Robert Emmons was very simple:
Three groups of people were asked to write a short journal entry once a week for ten weeks.
The groups had to briefly describe in a single sentence:
(Group 1) Gratitude condition: five things they were grateful for
(Group 2) Hassles condition: five things they were displeased about
(Group 3) Events condition: five neutral events
Here is how Emmons reported the results:
"What did the first study reveal? At the end of the ten weeks, we examined differences between the three groups on all of the well-being outcomes that we measured at the outset of the study. Participants in the gratitude condition felt better about their lives as a whole and were more optimistic about the future than participants in either of the other control conditions. To put it into numbers, according to the scale we used to calculate well-being, they were a full 25 percent happier than other participants."
WOW. Seems much too simple to be effective, right? We need to know that these results have been replicated multiple times in solid research.
So, do you want 25% more happiness in your life?
Simply write down. Once a week. In one single sentence. 5 things you’re grateful for.
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