3 Things To Be Thankful For

It’s Thanksgiving week, and on this show, we will share 3 research-backed things to be thankful for that will bring you more happiness.

Click the player to listen to this episode of The BIGG Success Show Podcast. Below is a summary of our discussion.

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To kick things off, George shares a poem that he thinks of this time of year. He heard it when he was a kid, no more than 10 years old, and a clown was performing at a festival. It goes like this:

As I was walking down the street one day,
I looked up in the sky,
And a bird pooped in my eye.
I’m so glad that cows can’t fly.
~ Author unknown

If you can’t be grateful for what did happen to you, be thankful for what didn’t!

Let’s go to the Professor’s whiteboard…

1. Be thankful for what you have

In a study about counting blessings vs burdens, researchers divided participants into 3 groups. Group 1 was asked to journal about things that are burdens in their lives. Group 2 journaled about things they were grateful for. Group 3 journaled about neutral life events.

Researchers found that the group 2, which journaled about things they were grateful for, had much higher levels of well-being compared to their counterparts.

The main takeaway from the research was that major benefits flow from focusing on blessings.

2, Be thankful for who is in your life

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania asked study participants to write about early memories. Then they were instructed to write a letter of thanks to someone who they felt they had never thanked properly. They delivered this letter in person. The participants showed a BIGG increase in happiness that lasted a month on average.

3. Be thankful for where you are

We can’t help using a study about Thanksgiving since we’re coming up on Thanksgiving. So here’s an easy way to gain major benefits personally this holiday:

According to research, study participants naturally experience positive emotions on Thanksgiving than other days. But by expressing their thankfulness, they were more satisfied with life in the days that followed.