Product Description

Did you know that there is a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked? In the pages of this eminently readable book, Robert Emmons -- editor in chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology -- draws on the first major study of the subject of gratitude, of "wanting what we have," and shows that a systematic cultivation of this underexamined emotion can measurably change people's lives. Readers will discover how:

• People who regularly practice grateful thinking can increase their "set-point" for happiness by as much as 25 percent.

• Such increases can be sustained over a period of months -- challenging the previously held notion that our set-points for happiness are frozen at birth.

• Keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks results in better sleep and more energy.

Emmons also reaches beyond science to bolster the case for gratitude by weaving in the writings of philosophers, novelists, and theologians. Like no other book has before, Thanks! inspires readers to embrace gratitude and all the benefits it can bring into our lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12948 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-06
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This fine, succinct contribution to the relatively new field of positive psychology (which seeks to promote emotional wellness, rather than treat disorder) focuses on what a French saying calls the memory of the heart. Emmons (The Psychology of Gratitude), a leader in the field and professor at UC-Davis, looks at gratitude from an interdisciplinary perspective, including literature, psychology, religion and anthropology. He demonstrates how it contributes to emotional equanimity and pleasure, richer personal relationships and greater health. Perhaps Emmons's most interesting chapter is on ingratitude, which Kant called the essence of vileness and which Emmons sees as resulting from the grudging resentment of one's own dependence on others. Gratitude is more... than a tool for self-improvement. Gratitude is a way of life Emmons says, and he ends by offering 10 ways to cultivate gratitude, including keeping a gratitude journal and learning prayers on gratitude. Emmons introduces an important topic through deftly synthesizing scientific and popular inspirational literature. (Aug. 6)
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Review
The San Francisco Chronicle : "A serious, skillful exploration of a current arena of psychological research, by one of the leaders in that emerging field." --Steve Heilig

"We can all be grateful to Robert Emmons for this pioneering work." --David G. Myers, Ph.D., author of The Pursuit of Happiness

"Robert Emmons is the world's leading expert on the psychology of gratitude. . . This is a morally elevating book." --Jonathan Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis

"I am convinced Robert Emmons is right: increasing the national state of gratitude would change the world." --Jim Clifton, Chairman & CEO of The Gallup Organization

"Emmons presents clear and practical ways in which everyone can begin to immensely improve their quality of life." --Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy at USC as well as author of Renovation of the Heart

"Gratitude's benefits should be enough to convince even the most cynical secularist that this emotion is essential for achieving happiness." -- Spirituality & Practice Magazine

About the Author
Robert Emmons is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology.He is also the author of "'Psychology of Gratitude"' and "'Psychology of Ultimate Concerns."'

Customer Reviews

Thanks! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier
Thanks is a great primer in gratitude for those working in the coaching field. It gives a good mix of research, world experience, and individual stories. To that mix is added proven tools and techniques to enhance gratitude as a way of creating a happier life.

Cultivating the attitude of gratitude
I have been reading up on the topic of gratitude since reading a newspaper account of Professor Emmon's research on the topic. I have now studied this recent book on the topic and taken extensive notes. While the issue has always struck me as very important, I didn't realise the empirical support for the topic. Work conducted by Professor Emmons and his colleagues has provided important evidence of how even simple interventions such as keeping a daily gratitude diary can have a significant impact on students as well as clinical populations. I would thoroughly recommend this book as it provides a comprehensive overview of the gratitude literature, as well as tips on how to bring more gratitude practices into your daily life. Unusually, it is not just a self-help book but a scientific guide, written by a genuine expert in the field, unlike so many books in this genre. I look forward to developing and extending my own work in this area. There can be few better introductions than this book.
Dr Jerome Carson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, London, England.

Disappointing after all the glowing reviews
I bought this book after reading the glowing reviews here on Amazon, and listening to several recorded interviews with Dr. Emmons.

The book is disorganized, choppy, and preachy, in my opinion. It reads like a semester's worth of lectures to undergraduates, slightly massaged to be a book. Very, very disappointing.

Especially, it does not live up to the subtitle: "How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier"--it offers very little in the way of exercises or practices that one can use.

Don't get me wrong; it's worthwhile borrowing this book from the library and reading it, once you get past the choppiness. But it's not worth spending any money on it.