This chapter reviews recent progress in the science of gratitude; its foundational issues; and its benefits. Research has shown that grateful people tend to be happy, and gratitude interventions enhance happiness. We review four types of gratitude interventions that have been described in the literature: grateful recounting, grateful reflection, grateful expression, and grateful reappraisal. We also discuss some of the unresolved issues in research regarding gratitude treatments, such as whether people can be trained to become more grateful. We go on to describe another area that is need of research: inhibitors of gratitude. Recent work has shown that narcissism and cynicism inhibit the growth of gratitude, but much more research is needed. Finally we turn to the issue of how gratitude enhances well-being. We argue that gratitude enhances well-being because it amplifies the good in one’s life. Gratitude might amplify the good in cognition, relationships, and in oneself.
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