{"id":14202,"date":"2025-05-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=14202"},"modified":"2025-04-24T14:23:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:23:57","slug":"practicing-gratitude-in-stressful-times-psychological-benefits-positive-psychology-may-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/practicing-gratitude-in-stressful-times-psychological-benefits-positive-psychology-may-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude comes with benefits \u2212 a social psychologist explains how to practice it when times are\u00a0stressful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n \n
\n If the concept of journaling feels daunting, perhaps just call it a gratitude list.\n Karl Tapales\/Moment via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n Monica Y. Bartlett<\/a>, Gonzaga University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

A lot has been written about gratitude over the past two decades<\/a> and how we ought to be feeling it. There is advice for journaling<\/a> and a plethora of purchasing options for gratitude notebooks and diaries. And research has consistently pointed to the health<\/a> and relationship benefits<\/a> of the fairly simple and cost-effective practice of cultivating gratitude.<\/p>\n\n

Yet, Americans are living in a very stressful time, worried about<\/a> their financial situation<\/a> and the current political upheaval<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

How then do we practice gratitude during such times?<\/p>\n\n

I am a social psychologist<\/a> who runs the Positive Emotion and Social Behavior Lab at Gonzaga University. I teach courses focused on resilience and human flourishing. I have researched and taught about gratitude for 18 years. <\/p>\n\n

At the best of times, awareness of the positive may require more effort than noticing the negative, let alone in times of heightened distress. There are, however, two simple ways to work on this.<\/p>\n\n

\n \"A<\/a>\n
\n Expressions of gratitude can take many different forms.<\/span>\n Lighthouse Films\/DigitalVision via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Gratitude doesn\u2019t always come easily<\/h2>\n\n

Generally, negative information captures attention more readily than the positive. This disparity is so potent that it\u2019s called the negativity bias<\/a>. Researchers argue that this is an evolutionary adaptation: Being vigilant for life\u2019s harms was essential for survival. <\/p>\n\n

Yet, this means that noticing the kindnesses of others or the beauty the world has to offer may go unnoticed or forgotten by the end of the day. That is to our detriment.<\/p>\n\n

Gratitude is experienced as a positive emotion. It results from noticing that others \u2212 including friends and family certainly, but also strangers, a higher power or the planet \u2212 have provided assistance or given something of value such as friendship or financial support. By definition, gratitude is focused on others\u2019 care<\/a> or on entities outside of oneself. It is not about one\u2019s own accomplishments or luck. <\/p>\n\n

When we feel gratitude toward something or someone, it can increase well-being and happiness<\/a> and relationship satisfaction<\/a>, as well as lower depression<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Thus, it may assist in counteracting the negativity bias by helping us find and remember the good that others are doing for us every day \u2212 the good that we may lose sight of in the best of times, let alone in times when Americans are deeply stressed. <\/p>\n\n

\n \"A<\/a>\n
\n We feel gratitude more easily when we notice the good that others have brought into our lives.<\/span>\n Catherine Falls Commercial\/Moment via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

How to practice gratitude<\/h2>\n\n

Research has shown that some people are naturally more grateful<\/a> than others. <\/p>\n\n

But it\u2019s also clear that gratitude can be cultivated through practice. People can improve their ability to notice and feel this positive emotion. <\/p>\n\n

One way to do this is to try a gratitude journal. Or, if the idea of journaling is daunting or annoying, perhaps call it a daily list instead. If you have given this a try and dislike it, skip to the second method below. <\/p>\n\n

Gratitude lists are designed to create a habit in which you scan your day looking for the positive outcomes that others have brought into your life, no matter how small. Writing down several experiences each day that went well because of others may make these positive events more visible to you and more memorable by the end of the day \u2212 thus, boosting gratitude and its accompanying benefits<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

While the negative news \u2212 \u201cThe stock market is down again<\/a>!\u201d \u201cHow are tariffs going to affect my financial security<\/a>?\u201d \u2212 is clearly drawing attention, a gratitude list is meant to help highlight the positive so that it doesn\u2019t go overlooked. <\/p>\n\n

The negative doesn\u2019t need help gaining attention, but the positive might.<\/p>\n\n

A second method for practicing gratitude is expressing that gratitude to others. This can look like writing a letter of gratitude<\/a> and delivering it to someone who has made a positive impact in your life. <\/p>\n\n

When my students do this exercise, it often results in touching interactions. For instance, my college students often write to high school mentors, and those adults are regularly moved to tears to learn of the positive impact they had. Expressing gratitude in work settings can boost employees\u2019 sense of social worth<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

In a world that may currently feel bleak, a letter of gratitude may not only help the writer recognize the good of others but also let others know that they are making a beautiful difference in the world.\"The<\/p>\n\n

Monica Y. Bartlett<\/a>, Professor of Psychology, Gonzaga University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the concept of journaling feels daunting, perhaps just call it a gratitude list. Karl Tapales\/Moment via Getty…\n","protected":false},"author":1179,"featured_media":14204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/da\/Las_Vegas_Community_Conversation_-_49639206068.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[8804,8806,8796,8801,8794,8789,8800,8798,8788,8811,8803,8802,8790,8791,8807,8795,8797,8793,8810,8812,8805,8792,8808,8809,8787,8799],"class_list":{"0":"post-14202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-and-body","8":"tag-benefits-of-gratitude","9":"tag-cultivating-gratitude","10":"tag-emotional-well-being-and-gratitude","11":"tag-expressing-gratitude-to-others","12":"tag-flourishing-through-gratitude","13":"tag-gratitude-and-depression-reduction","14":"tag-gratitude-and-resilience","15":"tag-gratitude-during-difficult-times","16":"tag-gratitude-exercises","17":"tag-gratitude-expression","18":"tag-gratitude-in-stressful-times","19":"tag-gratitude-in-work-settings","20":"tag-gratitude-journal","21":"tag-gratitude-list","22":"tag-gratitude-practice","23":"tag-how-to-practice-gratitude","24":"tag-human-flourishing-and-gratitude","25":"tag-mental-health-and-gratitude","26":"tag-negativity-bias","27":"tag-positive-emotion-research","28":"tag-positive-outcomes-of-gratitude","29":"tag-positive-psychology","30":"tag-psychological-benefits-of-gratitude","31":"tag-relationship-satisfaction-through-gratitude","32":"tag-social-psychologist-on-gratitude","33":"tag-writing-gratitude-letters","34":"cs-entry","35":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14202"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14203,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14202\/revisions\/14203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}