Thanks! - by Robert Emmons (Paperback)

About the Book

A scientifically groundbreaking, eloquent look at how we benefit -- psychologically, physically, and interpersonally -- when we practice gratitude

Did you know that there is a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked? In Thanks!, Robert Emmons 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-point" is frozen at birth.

- Keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks can result 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.
Thanks! inspires readers to embrace gratitude and all the benefits it can bring into their lives.

Book Synopsis

A scientifically groundbreaking, eloquent look at how we benefit--psychologically, physically, and interpersonally--when we practice gratitude.

Did you know that there is a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked?

Robert Emmons--editor-in-chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology--examines what it means to think and feel gratefully in Thanks! and invites readers to learn how to put this powerful emotion into practice.

Scientifically speaking, regular grateful thinking can increase happiness by as much as 25 percent, while keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks results in better sleep and more energy. But there's more than science to embrace here: Emmons also bolsters the case for gratitude by weaving in writings of philosophers, novelists, and theologians that illustrate all the benefits grateful living brings.

In Thanks!, Emmons shows how "wanting what we have" can measurably change people's lives for the better.

Review Quotes

"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

"A serious, skillful exploration of a current arena of psychological research, by one of the leaders in that emerging field." --Steve Heilig The San Francisco Chronicle --