Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

 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...

LESSONS in HOPE and SPIRITUALITY The psychology of hope owes much to the thinking and research of the late C. R.Snyder (2002). His research suggested two components.  Hope involves thinking about ways to achieve goals and objectives ( pathways ). And hope includes those motivational thoughts that energize people to use the identified pathways to reach their goals ( agency thinking). 1. Hope links to compassion. People high in hope are also more compassionate (Sutton et al., 2014). People full of hope love to share their hope with others. People in despair have lost hope and are in desperate need of hearing a message of hope. Hopelessness is in fact a diagnostic feature of clinical depression. Many find hope in the meaning provided through religious faith, including Christianity. 2. Hope links to forgiveness. People with higher hope scores also score higher on trait forgiveness (Sutton et al., 2014). Hope promotes forgiveness in people. And people who learn fo...