Gratitude is the “forgotten factor” in happiness research.
Scientists are latecomers to the concept of gratitude. Religions and philosophies have long embraced gratitude as an indispensable manifestation of virtue, and an integral component of health, wholeness, and well-being.
Through conducting highly focused, cutting-edge studies on the nature of gratitude, its causes, and its consequences, we hope to shed important scientific light on this important concept.
University of Miami psychology professor Michael McCullough, who has studied people who are asked to be regularly thankful, said: "When you are stopping and counting your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system." What McCullough means is that by taking inventory of what you are thankful about directs you attention to good things.
An "Attitude of Gratitude" can soften a bad mood, a tough day or a broken heart. It also stretches the margins of your well-being.
