Gratitude

Abstract

Gratitude has been omnipresent in religious, spiritual, and philosophical ideologies since ancient times. All these ideologies believed that gratitude contributes to the well-being of individuals, to strong relationships between people, and to societal cohesion, and it is seen as an essential part of living a meaningful life. In positive psychology, gratitude is viewed as a general tendency to recognize small to large benefits, to experience sufficiency, and to acknowledge anything in the world, both human and nonhuman, with grateful emotion; expression of this emotion promotes one’s own well-being and the well-being of others; also called mature gratitude. An important aspect of mature gratitude as a contributor to well-being is the ability to be grateful for broken belongings, hurtful people, or any other kind of adversity. Health and well-being cannot be understood merely by analysis of the individual psychopathological symptoms but by the synthesis of all domains of mental health, each of which is associated with gratitude: physical well-being, psychological well-being, and social well-being. Gratitude contributes more or less to each of these areas. In clinical practice, gratitude can play a positive role regarding several diagnoses, including burnout, addiction, chronic pain, and bereavement. This chapter illustrates the effect gratitude has on the mental health of people with these serious conditions. Mature gratitude plays a vital role in preventing people from experiencing depression, anger, and anxiety because of suffering. It teaches people a better and more adaptive way to embrace their hardship.