Brian Johnson (Optimize) explains how to cultivate gratitude, emphasizing gratitude journaling as Robert Emmons and Mike McCullough’s top evidence-based practice. He cites research claims (e.g., 25% higher happiness, ~30 extra minutes of sleep nightly, 33% more exercise) and explains why writing—versus merely thinking—matters. Johnson summarizes concrete journaling guidance from Emmons: write about specific gifts, seek depth over breadth, include surprises, use the language of gifts, and aim for short, frequent entries (a few minutes daily or every other day) to build a sustained grateful outlook. The segment ends with a prompt to list three things the listener is grateful for.
Questions this video answers
25% boost in happiness.
About 1/2 hour more sleep per evening and 33% more exercise each week.
Write about five things for which you are grateful once a week for 10 consecutive weeks.
Take five to ten minutes to write at least every other day; he encourages daily practice while avoiding gratitude fatigue.
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. In our last plus one we talked about the scientifically proven power of gratitude. Robert Emmons joined us to give us some eye popping. His words My all caps stats People are 25% happier if they keep gratitude journals. They sleep 1/2 hour more per evening and exercise 33% more each week compared to persons who are not keeping these journals. Now we have notes on both his first book called thanks and his more recent book Gratitude Works. Check those out. Highly recommend both and hope you enjoy those notes if you haven't checked them out yet. Today I want to chat about how to build our gratitude first. Know this I quote because it is a virtue, Gratitude, at least initially, requires mental discipline. Virtues do not come easily and in some sense we need them as they act as a counterpart to our natural tendencies. This is the paradox of gratitude. Although the evidence is clear that cultivating gratitude in our life and in our attitude to life allows us to flourish, it can be difficult to accomplish. Developing and sustaining a grateful outlook on life is easier said than done because the choice for gratitude rarely comes without some real effort. Now the fact that cultivating virtue takes real effort is not a news flash, but it is an important reminder. Good news. I quote Again, we can put the science of gratitude to work for us. However, a number of evidence based strategies including self guided journaling, reflective thinking, letter writing and and gratitude visits have shown to be effective in creating sustainable gratefulness. End quote. Now let's bring Robert back again to tell us about his number one recommended practice, gratitude journaling. He tells us one more time. I quote One of the best ways to cultivate gratitude is to establish a daily practice in which you remind yourself of the gifts, grace, benefits and good things you enjoy. When we are grateful, we affirm that sources of goodness exist in our lives. By writing each day, we magnify and expand on these sources of goodness, setting aside time on a daily basis to recall moments of gratitude associated with even mundane or ordinary events. Personal attributes one has or valued people one encounters has the potential to weave together a sustainable life theme of gratefulness, just as it nourishes a fundamentally affirming life stance. Gratitude journaling promotes the savoring of positive life experiences and situations so that we can distill the maximum satisfaction and enjoyment from them. This promotes a shift in consciousness from what we are lacking to the abundance that surrounds us. Gratitude leads us to affirm and acknowledge the good things in our lives. And because you can't be grateful and negative at the same time, it counteracts feelings of envy, anger, greed, and other states harmful to happiness. So, as discussed, Robert and his colleague Mike McCullough were the first researchers to show the astounding benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. That first study showed that 25% boost in happiness by journaling about five things for which you are grateful. Once a week for 10 consecutive weeks, Robert gives us 10 tips to rock our journaling. Here are a few key things to keep in mind. First, writing versus just thinking about it is important, he tells us. The act of writing down your blessings translates your thoughts into words. And writing has been shown to have advantages over just thinking the thoughts. Writing helps to organize thoughts, facilitate integration, and helps you accept your own experiences and put them in context. Robert encourages us to take five to 10 minutes to write at least every other day. He encourages us to do it daily while avoiding what researchers call gratitude fatigue. By keeping our reflections fresh, he tells us, seek gratitude density, be specific. Go for depth over breadth. Give details for each entry. The journal is more than just a list of stuff, and another way to keep things fresh is to, I quote again, include some surprises. What unexpected blessings did you benefit from today? What were you dreading that did not happen? He also tells us many times throughout the book to use the language of gifts. Think of the benefits you receive today as gifts. Relish and savor the gifts you have been given. There you go. That's today's plus one. Gratitude journaling. It does a mind, body, soul good. What are three things for which you are grateful for today? If you feel so inspired, take a moment and write a sentence for three things right now. Don't just do it. Feel it. Number one Number two Number three Thing for which you're grateful for here's to savoring the awesome.
