The Power and Practice of Gratitude

People with a grateful disposition tend to experience the attitude of appreciating life as a gift more frequently, more intensely, toward more people, and for more things in their life at any given moment. This chapter begins with a brief review of basic research on gratitude, focusing first on adult populations and then on youth populations. It then turns to applied research pertaining to clinical purposes for adults and academic purposes for youth. Finally, the chapter discusses how gratitude is related to the "good life" for adults and youth and close with suggestions for future research directions. The empirical research falls into three major categories: how gratitude is measured and conceptualized; what kind of people tend to be grateful; and how gratitude has been and can be applied to society. The chapter contends that gratitude is important for positively transforming individuals, families, and organizations.