Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  A Circle of Well-Being Gratitude and Joy One of the beautiful holiday connections in the United States is the Thanksgiving to Christmas festivities. Just after Thanksgiving, I noticed that a former student posted a photo of an ultrasound. She and her husband had smiles as they hugged. She posted her Spring due date. Great Expectations! We know a lot about gratitude. Saying thanks, writing gratitude letters, and keeping a gratitude journal are annual reminders of things we can do to promote our wellbeing and make the world a nicer place. That’s Thanksgiving. But psychologists have also begun the study of joy, which until recently has been hidden amongst a sea of happiness research. Enter Philip Watkins and his colleagues who find evidence that sets joy apart from other good feelings. Psychologists link the emotion of joy to good news. It’s not just any good news but something we long for—something we look forward to, hope for, and expect. Moreover, joy is not like getting ...

 The Big 12 of Gratitude Thanksgiving is more than turkey and pumpkin pie — it’s a reminder of something deeper: gratitude. But here’s the secret… you don’t have to wait for the holiday table to enjoy its benefits. Gratitude isn’t just a religious practice or a polite “thank you.” It’s a mindset that changes how we see the world, and science shows it can transform our lives. Why Gratitude Matters 1. Across cultures and faiths, gratitude is celebrated as a virtue. 2. Psychologists describe it as a positive emotion directed toward those who give us gifts or kindness. 3. For people of faith, gratitude often points back to God. For everyone else, it’s simply a way of recognizing the good in life. Either way, gratitude is powerful — and it pays off in ways you might not expect. Ad. Read more about Gratitude and Faith in Chapter 4 of Living Well Buy on AMAZON The Big 12 Blessings of Gratitude Grateful people tend to experience: 1. More positive emotions 2. Greater life satisf...

  Photo: Mr Brown upper left; Rev Kenyon lower right We had Sunday dinner in the kitchen by the window. My wife asked me about people in my life. Soon we began sharing stories of those people we admired or respected. Somehow, we went back to our childhood—perhaps it was the holidays. We both grew up in very conservative churches with strict behavioral codes but we had fond memories of some people who made life special and created good memories. When I was 13, we moved to Millville NJ. I turned 14 in the summer and entered 9th grade. So, it was a new community with a new school, new neighbors, and a new church. If you moved to new settings, you know the anxiety it can bring. I’m thankful for the things kind adults did. In those days, adults didn’t have first names. My dad wasn’t a fisherman but I learned to enjoy fishing when two different Millville men took me fishing in the Delaware Bay. Thanks Mr. Montgomery (Pictured below) and Mr. Sharp. Mr. & Mrs. Montgomery At that ti...

  Can expressing thanks really make a difference in your life? A classic and oft cited study suggests the act of writing about things we are thankful or grateful for is good for us. Here’s a summary of what Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough found in a sample of 192 college students— mostly women (147). The Research Method The students were divided into three experimental groups at the beginning of a quarter. The students completed 10 weekly reports. The three groups: 1. Gratitude . They were asked to think about last week and write down 5 things that they were grateful or thankful for. 2. Hassles . The researchers explained that hassles are things that are irritating. They were to think about what happened today and list up to 5 hassles. 3. Events . The students were asked to think about the past week and write 5 events that impacted them. How the researchers measured change in the participants—what the participants did. 1. They rated their feelings using 3...