Articles to guide your journey greater happiness
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The search for happiness is universal, and yet it is hard to find. Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place.
We all have the potential for happiness and deserve to be happy. In fact, everything we do is directed to this goal, yet happiness seems elusive. Genuine happiness has nothing to do with appearance, fame, or fortune. The good news is that we can make it happen.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, the holiday that has its origin in the Puritan tradition of giving thanks for a good harvest. The Puritans weren’t the first in this regard. Many religious and societal traditions are based on the concept of gratitude. What all these traditions may or may not have known is that recent scientific studies point to a direct link between gratitude and a deep satisfaction with life. Not only is it good to give thanks, but it is also good for you to do so!
In a study at the University of California at Davis, Professor Robert Emmons came up with some very interesting and illuminating results from his research project on gratitude and thankfulness. Professor Emmons found that people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events. In addition, participants who kept the journals were more likely to make progress toward their personal goals in life.
