Here are a few more Gratitude Science findings to back up your involvement in the 30 Days of Gratitude Project. There's a lot more but here are some highlights:

9. Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and their families (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008).

10. Spirituality:  Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities such as prayer reading religious material score are more likely to be grateful.  Grateful people are more likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life and a commitment to and responsibility to others (McCullough et. al., 2002). Gratitude does not require religious faith, but faith enhances the ability to be grateful.

11. Materialism:  Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of  others; and are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.

Robert A. Emmons, University of California, Davis - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 530.752.8844

Michael E. McCullough, University of Miami - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 305.284.8057

12. Women appreciate gratitude more than men. In one study, Researcher Todd Kashdan interviewed college-aged students and older adults, asking them to describe and evaluate a recent episode in which they received a gift. He found that women compared with men reported feeling less burden and obligation and greater levels of gratitude when presented with gifts. In addition, older men reported greater negative emotions when the gift giver was another man.

"The way that we get socialized as children affects what we do with our emotions as adults," says Kashdan. "Because men are generally taught to control and conceal their softer emotions, this may be limiting their well-being."