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A shared universe › Blog › Gratitude and joy · Español

Gratitude and joy

Gratitude and joy can be learnt too. Readings on gratitude, small joys and good moments, with what psychology says about them.

How to keep a gratitude journalWhat psychology says about writing down what you are grateful for, how to do it without it becoming an empty routine, and what to do on days when you find nothing.4 min read The three good things exerciseBefore bed, write down three things that went well and why. What it is, what Martin Seligman’s research found and what has been seen since.4 min read Savoring the good momentsPsychology calls it “savouring”: pausing on what is good so it lasts longer. What it is, what studies say, what spoils it and simple ways to practise it.4 min read Why sharing good news makes it biggerPsychology has studied what happens when we share something good and how to respond when others share with us. What helps and what, without meaning to, dims the joy.4 min read The gratitude letterWriting to someone who helped you and never got your thanks. What the gratitude visit is, why the letter is hard to write, how to do it and what to do if they are gone.4 min read What positive emotions are forAccording to the psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, positive emotions open us up and help us build resources for difficult days. What is known and what is not.4 min read Being grateful without quite knowing to whomSometimes we feel grateful for something that depends on no one in particular: a lovely day, a recovery, getting this far. What that gratitude is and how to express it.4 min read Awe: looking at the sky and feeling smallFeeling small before something immense, like a sky full of stars, has a name: awe. What psychology has found and how to look for it every day.4 min read The small joys of the dayA quiet coffee, a message, a while in the sun. Psychology has studied the small things of each day and their effect on how we cope with difficulties.4 min read When time flies: the state of flowThere are activities in which time disappears. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi called it flow. What it is, when it appears and how to make room for it in your day.4 min read Imagining your best futureWriting for a few minutes about your life if everything went as well as possible lifts your mood. What Laura King found, what is known today and how to do it.4 min read What really makes a good lifeA Harvard study has followed the same people since 1938. Its conclusion about what makes a good life is simple: good relationships.4 min read Money and happinessMoney matters a great deal when it is short and less when there is plenty. What Kahneman, Deaton and Killingsworth found, and why how it is spent matters.4 min read Why we laugh more in companyWe laugh far more often with other people than with nobody around, and hardly ever at a joke. What Robert Provine discovered and what laughing together is for.4 min read What a while among trees doesSeeing trees from a window went with a quicker recovery after surgery. What is known about why nature is restful and how much time is enough.4 min read Saying something kind to someoneWe think something good about someone and keep it to ourselves for fear of making them uncomfortable. Studies by Erica Boothby and Vanessa Bohns show we are wrong.4 min read The tears of Saint LawrenceEvery August the sky fills with shooting stars. What the Perseids are, where they come from and why in Spain they are called the tears of Saint Lawrence.2 min read Why music moves usA song can give you goosebumps or make you cry. What happens in the brain according to the studies of Robert Zatorre and Valorie Salimpoor, and how to listen better.5 min read Nostalgia, better than it seemsFor almost two centuries it was an illness. Studies by Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut find that nostalgia brings us closer and gives meaning, though not always.5 min read Imagining you don’t have itThinking how your life would be without something good you already have can give it back its shine. What a 2008 study found, and how to try it without it hurting.6 min read What makes a friendshipAbout 50 hours for a casual friend and over 200 for a close one. What Robin Dunbar and Jeffrey Hall found on how a friendship begins and why it cools.5 min read Being where you areWe spend almost half the day thinking about something else. What Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found, and how to come back to the moment without forcing it.5 min read Making something with your handsCooking, sewing, drawing or mending is linked to a better mood the next day. What a 2018 study found, and other clues about creating something every day.5 min read Taking photos of the good momentsPeople say taking photos stops you enjoying things. Kristin Diehl’s experiments found almost the opposite, with caveats: who the photos are for and what you do next.5 min read

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