Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier

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.