SKIP TO: Header | | | Navigation | Main Content | Footer

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Gratitude Articles & More

Why Gratitude Works

Gratitude seems hokey to some. But in a new video, Christine Carter explains why "thank you" is so important to happiness and life satisfaction.

By Christine Carter | November 20, 2012

I explain why gratitude—an emotion that can seem hokey—actually provides a significant boost to our happiness and life satisfaction.

© 2012 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

Like this post? We hope you’ll become a fan of Raising Happiness on Facebook, or sign up for the Raising Happiness monthly newsletter.

Advertisement X

About the Author

Christine Carter

Christine Carter, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center. She is the author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (BenBella, 2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (Ballantine Books, 2015), and Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (Random House, 2010). A former director of the GGSC, she served for many years as author of its parenting blog, Raising Happiness. Find out more about Christine here.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

Meet the Greater Good Toolkit

For your bookshelf: 30 science-based practices for well-being.

Order Now
Related Articles
- World Happiness Report Finds That Crises Make Us Kinder
  March 21, 2023
  Since the pandemic began, people around the world have been helping, donating, and volunteering more—especially in Ukraine.
- Are World Happiness Rankings Culturally Biased?
  March 20, 2023
  Psychologists can more accurately measure people's well-being by taking into account how different cultures think about happiness.
- Are Joint Bank Accounts Good for Your Marriage?
  March 16, 2023
  Evidence suggests that couples who combine their financial resources are happier than those who don’t—and they stay together longer.
Take the Grateful Organizations Quiz

Does your organization elicit gratitude--or make people feel taken for granted?
Take the Quiz
Three Tips to Be More Intellectually Humble

Researcher Eranda Jayawickreme offers some ideas that can help you be more open and less defensive in conversations.
One Way to Make Work More Meaningful (The Science of Happiness podcast)

We all overestimate how much we know. Our guest tries a practice in slowing down to ask more questions, and finds it leads to higher quality connections.