Gratefulness
6 Reasons Why to Teach Kids to Be
Grateful
The research can only support Scriptural Truth:
1. Better Attitudes:
Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes
toward school and their families (Froh, Sefick, Emmons, 2008).
2. Better Achieve Personal Goals:
Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress
toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over
a two-month period compared to subjects in the other experimental
conditions.
3. Closer Relationships, Greater
Happiness:
Professor Froh infused middle–school classes with a small dose of
gratitude—and found that it made students feel more connected to their friends,
family, and their school:
“By the follow–up three weeks later, students who had been instructed
to count their blessings showed more gratitude toward people who had helped
them, which led to more gratitude in general. Expressing gratitude was
not only associated with appreciating close relationships; it was also related
to feeling better about life and school. Indeed, compared with students in the
hassles and control groups, students who counted blessings reported greater
satisfaction with school both immediately after the two–week exercise and at the
three–week follow–up.”
4. Better Grades:
Gratitude in children: 6-7th graders who kept a gratitude journal for
only three weeks, had an increased grade point average over the course of a
year.
5. Greater Energy, Attentiveness,
Enthusiasm:
A daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) with young adults
resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness,
enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on
hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they
were better off than others).
6. Greater Sensitivity:
Children who kept gratitude journals were more sensitive to
situations where they themselves can be helpful, altruistic, generous,
compassionate, and less destructive, more positive social behaviors,
and less destructive, negative social behaviors…
“Gratitude is good for the giver, and good for the receiver,” Professor
Emmons said. “This has been documented in friendships, romantic partners and
spouses. One study showed that the mere expression of thanks more than doubled
the likelihood that helpers would provide assistance again.”
And if We Don’t Practice Gratitude?
On the other hand, research shows that youth who are ungrateful are
“less satisfied with their lives and are more apt to be aggressive and engage in
risk-taking behaviors, such as early or frequent promiscuous
activities, substance use, poor eating habits, physical inactivity, and poor
academic performance.”
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