An Attitude of Gratitude...

Happiness is a perplexing concept. I, like millions of others, live by the unwritten and elusive belief that happiness is a deserved emotion for the individual. The way our country exists has a certain sense of 'me-ness' about it. I consistently fall into the trap of thinking if I buy certain things, i'll be happy. Or if I travel around the world to 'find myself', then i'll be happy. For some people it might be: "if I had a boyfriend, i'd be happy" or "if I won the lottery, then happiness would be mine".

All these thought processes have one thing in common: they're selfish cognitions. They run on a basis of: if I get this, then I'll be happy. Recent studies however have shown that happiness is created in quite the opposite way. Happiness has been proved to be directly linked with gratitude.

I came across this correlation on a youtube channel called SoulPancake, on a video entitled "The Science Of Happiness". There are a series of videos in this series that all explore the phenomenon of 'Positive Psychology'.
According to the study that the linked video is based on, Positive Psychology is an umbrella term for the study of positive emotions, positive character traits, and enabling institutions. One of the processed that the study carried out was named The Gratitude Visit. Participants were given one week to write and then deliver a letter of gratitude in person to someone who had been especially kind to them but had never
been properly thanked.

The Gratitude Visit caused large positive changes for one month. The two other exercises designed to instill happiness and the placebo control created positive but transient effects on happiness
and depressive symptoms. Results showed that at the immediate post-test (after one week of doing the assigned exercise), participants in The Gratitude Visit condition were happier and less depressed. They showed the largest positive changes in the whole study. This boost in happiness and decrease in depressive symptoms was maintained at follow-up assessment one week and one month.

The idea that gratitude is directly linked to happiness certainly has face validity. So often we hear of stories about individuals with so little in the way of money, food and shelter, showing enormous acts of kindness and generosity to others, at no apparent emotional strain to themselves. It could be that these individuals are so grateful for the little they do have, that they are happy to share that with others, showing a stable well-being. Similarly, those with a religious outlook on life often appear happy and content in themselves because they have a higher power to which they are continually grateful to. Lastly, the saying "money doesn't buy happiness" emphasises the idea that it is not selfish longings for materialistic items that brings happiness, but selfless and thankful gestures.

So, if this study is suggesting that showing gratitude has long lasting effects on happiness, then to what extent could mental illness be influenced by one's ability to show gratitude to those around them?
In a world where we are used to everything be instantaneous: google search, next-day delivery, take-away meals, it's easy to see how people forget to be grateful to others.
Needless to say, mental illnesses are complex disorders that result from a multitude of biological and environmental factors, and cannot be pinned down to the mere fact that someone says thank-you to their friend for carrying the shopping for them - I am in no way blaming people who contract an illness such as depression for 'not being thankful enough'. But it would be interesting to observe the correlation between gratitude and mental illness, and to assess whether Positive Psychology's "positive interventions" could be used alongside treatments such as drugs and CBT to counter illnesses such as depression.

P.S: I thoroughly recommend watching the linked video if you didn't already click the hyperlink, but get the tissues at the ready.