The Gratitude Project: How the Science of Thankfulness Can Rewire Our Brains for Resilience, Optimism, and the Greater Good
248
The Gratitude Project: How the Science of Thankfulness Can Rewire Our Brains for Resilience, Optimism, and the Greater Good
248eBook
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Overview
In our fractured, “me-first” world, the science and practice of thankfulness could be just the antidote we need.
Gratitude is powerful: not only does it feel good, it’s also been proven to increase our well-being in myriad ways. The result of a multiyear collaboration between the Greater Good Science Center and Robert Emmons of the University of California, Davis, The Gratitude Project explores gratitude’s deep roots in human psychology—how it evolved and how it affects our brain—as well as the transformative impact it has on creating a meaningful life and a better world.
With essays based on new findings from this original research and written by renowned positive psychologists and public figures, this important book delves deeply into the neuroscience and psychology of gratitude, and explores how thankfulness can be developed and applied, both personally and in communities large and small, for the benefit of all.
With contributions from luminaries such as Sonja Lyubomirsky, W. Kamau Bell, Arianna Huffington, and many more, this edited volume offers more than just platitudes—it offers a blueprint for a new and better world.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781684034635 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | New Harbinger Publications |
| Publication date: | 09/01/2020 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 248 |
| Sales rank: | 590,526 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Editor Jeremy Adam Smith edits the Greater Good Science Center’s online magazine, Greater Good. He is author of The Daddy Shift, and coeditor of three anthologies. His coverage of racial and economic segregation in San Francisco, CA, schools has won numerous honors, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award for investigative reporting, and he is a three-time winner of the John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association.
Smith’s articles and essays have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Scientific American, Utne Reader, The Nation, Mindful, Wired, and many other periodicals, websites, and books. Jeremy has also been interviewed by The Today Show, The New York Times, USA TODAY, Working Mother, Nightline, ABC News, NBC News, The Globe and Mail, and numerous NPR shows about parenting and education. Before joining the Greater Good Science Center, Jeremy was a 2010–2011 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University.
Editor Kira M. Newman is managing editor of Greater Good magazine, and a former course assistant for The Science of Happiness online course on edX. Her work has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Washington Post, HuffPost, Social Media Monthly, and Mindful magazine. She has created large communities around the science of happiness, including the online course, The Year of Happy; and the CaféHappy meetup in Toronto, ON, Canada. Previously, she was a technology journalist and editor for Tech.Co.
Editor Jason Marsh is founding editor in chief of Greater Good magazine, and the Greater Good Science Center’s director of programs. He is also coeditor of two anthologies of Greater Good articles: The Compassionate Instinct and Are We Born Racist?. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Utne Reader, among other publications, and he writes regularly for the opinion section of www.cnn.com.
Editor Dacher Keltner, PhD, is founding director of the Greater Good Science Center, and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is author of The Power Paradox and Born to Be Good, and coeditor of The Compassionate Instinct.
Jeremy Adam Smith edits the Greater Good Science Center’s online magazine, Greater Good. He is author of The Daddy Shift, and coeditor of three anthologies. His coverage of racial and economic segregation in San Francisco, CA, schools has won numerous honors, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award for investigative reporting, and he is a three-time winner of the John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association.
Smith’s articles and essays have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Scientific American, Utne Reader, The Nation, Mindful, Wired, and many other periodicals, websites, and books. Jeremy has also been interviewed by The Today Show, The New York Times, USA TODAY, Working Mother, Nightline, ABC News, NBC News, The Globe and Mail, and numerous NPR shows about parenting and education. Before joining the Greater Good Science Center, Jeremy was a 2010–2011 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University.
Kira M. Newman is managing editor of Greater Good magazine, and a former course assistant for The Science of Happiness online course on edX. Her work has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Washington Post, HuffPost, Social Media Monthly, and Mindful magazine. She has created large communities around the science of happiness, including the online course, The Year of Happy; and the CaféHappy meetup in Toronto, ON, Canada. Previously, she was a technology journalist and editor for Tech.Co.
Jason Marsh is founding editor in chief of Greater Good magazine, and the Greater Good Science Center’s director of programs. He is also coeditor of two anthologies of Greater Good articles: The Compassionate Instinct and Are We Born Racist?. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Utne Reader, among other publications, and he writes regularly for the opinion section of www.cnn.com.
Dacher Keltner, PhD, is founding director of the Greater Good Science Center, and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is author of The Power Paradox and Born to Be Good, and coeditor of The Compassionate Instinct.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
Part 1 The Roots and Meaning of Gratitude
Chapter 1 What Gratitude Is and Why It Matters Robert Emmons Jeremy Adam Smith 3
Levels of Gratitude Summer Allen 12
Chapter 2 Looking for Gratitude's Roots in Primates Malini Suchak 13
Do Genes Affect Your Gratitude? Summer Allen 19
Chapter 3 How Gratitude Develops in Us Maryam Abdullah Giacomo Bono Jeffrey Froh Andrea Hussong Kira Newman 21
Chapter 4 What Can the Brain Reveal About Gratitude? Glenn Fox 27
Chapter 5 The Surprising Neural Link Between Giving and Gratitude Christina Karns 30
How Gratitude Relates to Other Emotions Summer Allen 34
Part 2 The Impact of Gratitude
Chapter 6 Why Gratitude is Good for Us Joel Wong Joshua Brown Christina Armenta Sonja Lyubomirsky Summer Allen Amie Gordon Kira Newman 38
How Gratitude Can Help You Achieve Your Goals David DeSteno 53
Can Gratitude Fix Everything? Kira Newman 55
Chapter 7 How Gender Shapes Gratitude Summer Allen 56
Chapter 8 How Cultural Differences Shape Gratitude and Its Impact Kira Newman 62
Chapter 9 How Gratitude Builds Cooperation Eric Pedersen Debra Lieberman 69
Part 3 How to Be Grateful
Chapter 10 How to Cultivate Gratitude in Yourself Jeremy Adam Smith 74
How to Make the Most of Your Gratitude Journal Alex Springer Jason Marsh 80
When Gratitude Exercises Feel Bad Megan M. Fritz Sonja Lyubomirsky 82
Five Ways Giving Thanks Can Backfire Amie Gordon 84
Chapter 11 How to Say Thanks Without Feeling Indebted Jill Suttie 86
Chapter 12 Can Loss Make You More Grateful? Nathan Greene 91
Griet, Grace, and Gratitude Arianna Huffington 96
Chapter 13 How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times Robert Emmons 98
Part 4 How to Be a Grateful Family
Chapter 14 Why Couples Need to Thank Each Other Jess Alberts Angela Trethewey 106
How to Say Thank-You to Your Partner Sara Algoe 113
Why Men Need to Learn Gratitude Jeremy Adam Smith 115
How Gratitude Can Help Couples Through Illness Jill Suttie 117
Chapter 15 How to Help Gratitude Grow in Your Kids Maryam Abdullah 119
Chapter 16 Feeling Entitled to a Little Gratitude on Mother's Day? Christine Carter 125
Chapter 17 What Being a Stepfather Taught Me About Gratitude Jeremy Adam Smith 129
Part 5 How to Foster Gratefulness Around You
Chapter 18 How to Foster Gratitude in Schools Jeffrey Froh Giacomo Bono 136
Chapter 19 Gratitude Is a Survival Skill Shawn Taylor 139
Chapter 20 Five Ways to Cultivate Gratitude at Work Jeremy Adam Smith Kira Newman 147
What Does a Grateful Organization Look Like? Emily Nauman 154
Gratitude as a Pathway to Positive Emotions at Work Kira Newman 156
Chapter 21 Why Health Professionals Should Cultivate Gratitude Leif Hass 158
How One Provider Is Fostering Gratitude in Health Care Catherine Brozena 164
Chapter 22 How to Help Other People Become More Grateful Tom Gilovich 166
Part 6 Conversations About the Transformative Potential of Gratitude
Chapter 23 Can Gratitude Confront Suffering? A Conversation with Jack Kornfield Jill Suttie 173
Can Gratitude Make Society More Trusting? Elizabeth Hopper 179
Can Gratitude Beat Materialism? Dacher Keltner Jason Marsh 182
Chapter 24 Can Gratitude Bring Americans Back Together? A Conversation with W. Kamau Bell Jeremy Adam Smith 185
Gratitude Encourages Voting Jill Suttie 194
Chapter 25 Is Gratitude the Path to a Better World? A Conversation with Brother David Steindl-Rast Jill Suttie 196
Contributors 201
Bibliography 209
Interviews
Smith, Newman, Marsh, and Keltner reside in Berkeley, CA (The Greater San Francisco Bay Area).