The Science of Gratitude: a Winning Attitude

Mar 04, 2019

I am a tried and true Duke Blue Devil. I bleed Duke blue. I think our blue is best. And yes, it is hard to be humble when you’re from Duke.

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“Thanks. You were with us every step of the way.”

I know … the enthusiasm of a Duke Blue Devil can be obnoxious. But my love for Duke grew even more after I learned that the men’s basketball team has a gratitude practice. During the 2014-2015 season, Coach K asked each player and coach on the team to write the name of at least one person on a team basketball. These names represented people who had helped them arrive at that place and time. Throughout the season, that special basketball traveled everywhere with the team. Every day, carrying it was the responsibility of one teammate. The basketball even came to their dorm rooms. When this team won the 2015 NCAA national championship, they mailed a handwritten note to every person whose name was written on that ball. The note said, “Thanks. You were with us every step of the way.”

Can you imagine being on the receiving end of that thank you note? It goes without saying that being appreciated is uplifting. But is there a positive effect on the giver of appreciation? Did this gratitude practice help Duke with the Big Dance?

Gratitude is the attitude.

Yes! Gratitude is the attitude. A winning attitude! There has been tons of research about how gratitude enhances key character traits. But, to me, some traits seem like the building blocks of a winning attitude. Below, I’ll briefly review the science behind how practicing gratitude can (1) improve self-esteem, (2) amplify optimism and (3) reduce stress.

Gratitude and self-esteem

A study, published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology in 2014, of more than 400 teenage athletes on nationally-ranked teams, suggested that gratitude was associated with higher self-esteem.

Participants completed the Gratitude Questionnaire [below] using a 6-point scale, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

I have so much in life to be thankful for.
If I had to list everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list.
When I look at the world, I don’t see much to be grateful for.
I am grateful to a wide variety of people.
As I get older I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events, and situations that have been part of my life history.
Long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to something or someone

The short-form Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale [below] was then used to determine each athlete’s self esteem using a 6-point scale, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree).

All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure.
I take a positive attitude toward myself.
On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.
At times I think I am no good at all.

The higher the gratitude score, the higher the self-esteem score, and the finding was statistically significant. Other studies have shown that gratitude is associated with fewer comparisons with peers. When you have high self-esteem, you know that you are enough. When you know that you are enough, you’re less likely to compare yourself with others. This frees you to strive for personal achievement and also frees you to see those around you (teammates, colleagues, etc) as resources instead of competitors. You will have the self-confidence to win and the resourcefulness to get support along the way.

Gratitude and optimism

This benefit is all about the Law of Attraction which says that when you think of good things, more good things will come your way. So, if you were going to write that off as *woo-woo*, don’t! Let’s take a peak at another study.

Drs. McCullough and Emmons published a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2003 about the effect of gratitude on optimism. In part 3 of this in-depth study, 65 participants with neuromuscular disorders were asked to fill out 21 “daily experience rating forms.” These forms separated participants into 3 conditions:

The first was a control group where participants indicated, on a 6-point scale, (1) how they experienced 32 daily affects like “grateful,” “thankful,” “bitter,” “sad” and (2) two life appraisal questions about their optimism regarding their lives as a whole and about the upcoming week.

The second condition was gratitude. Participants were told, “There are many things in our lives, both large and small, that we might be grateful about. Think back over the day and write down on the lines below up to five things in your life that you are grateful or thankful for.” They also completed the control group assessment.

The third condition was hassles and the form directed, “Hassles are irritants - things that annoy or bother you. They occur in various domains of life, including relationships, work, school, housing, finances, health, and so forth. Think back over today and, on the lines below, list up to five hassles that occurred in your life.” Then, they completed the control group assessment.

The participants in the gratitude condition expressed more gratitude than the hassles or control group. Similarly, the gratitude group was also less likely to express negative daily affects like “sad.” The members of the gratitude condition also reported more satisfaction with their lives, as a whole, and more optimism about the upcoming week. And all of these results were statistically significant!

Being grateful attracts optimism. And being optimistic about success brings about more success!

Gratitude and stress

Studies of gratitude have demonstrated a correlation between gratitude and resilience. Gratitude has also been shown to decrease blood pressure, improve post-traumatic stress disorder and reduce perceived stress. Here’s an overview of an article in the Journal of Research in Personality in 2008.

One hundred fifty-six college freshmen were asked to fill out the 6-question gratitude questionnaire I mentioned above. They also had to complete the 10-question Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) using a 4-point scale, from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). Several of the PSS questions are listed below.

In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?
In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?
In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and “stressed”?
In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?

The students filled out the questionnaires at the beginning of the first semester and again at the end. The results suggested that gratitude, over time, leads to decreased stress. The result was statistically significant.

Stress is typical to anyone with a full life. That gratitude helps manage stress is great news because managing stress well is vital to achieving big goals.