Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

GRATITUDE Danube, Melk Austria, October 2015 My thoughts... Gratitude is an open-arms warm embrace that says, “I appreciate you so much.” Gratitude is a child jumping up and down when a grandparent visits. Gratitude is an attitude. Gratitude is a river of life. When we express thanks, we feel good and energetic. Grateful people tend to be more optimistic and empathetic. Gratitude is a relationship builder according to psychological scientist, Robert Emmons of U.C. Davis. Emmons notes two dimensions of gratitude :  1. Gratitude is an affirmation of the good things in life such as benefits and gifts.  2. Gratitude is a perspective on the role others have in adding to our life. For spiritual people, “others” include God. As my wife and I walked along the Danube in Melk, Austria, I felt a sense of gratitude-- thankful for life and family. Gratitude Quotes “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good ...

OPTIMISM & FAITH When I go to the gym today (or maybe tomorrow), I expect the parking lot to be full. This time of year, a lot of people resolve to improve their lives. We want to get healthy and get rid of bad habits. Unfortunately, within a few weeks or months optimism wanes. And many fall back into old ways. FROM DEPRESSION TO OPTIMISM Years ago, Martin Seligman studied depression in animals. His research seemed to suggest that animals “gave up” as if they learned to be helpless. When Seligman and others examined how people thought about circumstances, they detected pessimistic thinking. And in contrast, researchers found positive thinking in others. Seligman has been instrumental in the development of positive psychology and has become well known for his work on learned optimism. SEVEN FINDINGS ABOUT OPTIMISM What do we know about learned optimism and life? Here’s a summary from Snyder, Lopez, and Pedrotti’s book on Positive Psychology . People wh...