In a new book, Deborah Norville marshals medical studies to advance her argument that a little bit of ‘thank you’ goes a long way toward happiness.
Psychology has long concerned itself with what ails the human mind. Since the days of Freud, the field has been synonymous with terms like “neurosis” and “repression.” Over the past decade, a new and growing branch of this established field has been trying to answer an opposite, but equally elusive question: what makes us happy? According to those who study “positive psychology”—fame and fortune don’t even play a bit part, and genes may play only a supporting role. But one ingredient that does turn up in study after study is gratitude. In dozens of randomized, controlled experiments, people who focused on the things they were grateful for were happier, healthier and more successful. In her new book, “Thank You Power” (Thomas Nelson), TV journalist and author Deborah Norville marshals this research to advance the argument that a simple but consistent expression of gratitude can carry us a long way down the road to happiness. NEWSWEEK’s Jeneen Interlandi spoke with Norville about why she believes two little words may be the key to a fulfilling life. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: What led you to write this book?
Deborah Norville: I noticed that when I focused on what was going well in my life—as opposed to fixating on the problems that crept up—I was happier and things worked out better for me. And I began to think maybe I was just playing a mind game with myself, like when my kid wears his lucky jersey on game day because he thinks it will help him win. So I started looking into whether anyone had tried to answer the question scientifically. And it turns out that there’s a ton of research that does in fact quantify the benefits of being thankful—and those benefits are many.
How does “Thank You Power” differ from what people have been saying for years about the “power of positive thinking”?
Positive thinking simply involves thinking. In Thank You Power you have to do. You have to not only count your blessings but write them down. A positive mind-set in and of itself doesn’t necessarily lead to positive results; you need to follow up those thoughts with action, and Thank You Power is an active endeavor.
How does Thank You Power work? What are the essential steps?
It’s magically simple. Thank You Power can be ignited by the regular practice of finding something in your day that was meaningful and beneficial to you. Maybe it was an e-mail from a long-lost friend, or the magic of all the traffic lights going green when you were late getting to work. They’re not necessarily headline-making events. In fact, experts in this field say it’s usually the more banal moments that, on reflection, are the most meaningful in our lives. I actually have a Thank You list—pretty much everyday I jot down three or four things that I am grateful for in a little fabric covered notebook. Focusing on these moments is an incredibly effective way to put yourself in “positive affect,” which is the scientific term for feeling good—seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty.
