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The Importance of Gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that we feel and implement into our day-to-day life. Gratitude is defined as feeling the quality of being thankful for something, or showing appreciation to those who treat us well and expose us to acts of kindness. Whilst most of us will subconsciously show signs of gratitude in our day to day life, in this article we are going to look at the importance of gratitude, and how our quality of life can be improved by further understanding our knowledge of gratitude and the way that we use it. A study was recently conducted in which two psychologists studied gratitude, and the effect that it had on our well-being. Michael McCollough and Robert Emmons selected several hundred participants for the study. The participants were off mixed sex, race, backgrounds and social groups as to make the study as impartial and accurate to the entire United States population as possible. Split into three groups, the participants were asked to keep a daily diary. The first group of people were instructed to document their day without being told to focus on good or bad things. The second group of people were asked to document unpleasant experiences only, whilst the third group only wrote down a list of things that they felt grateful for each day. After they had written in their diaries for a set amount of time, the results were collected and studied by the psychologists and their teams. The results showed that completing simple daily gratitude exercises such as keeping a diary helped all participants to experience higher levels of enthusiasm, alertness, optimism, determination and energy. More interestingly, members of the group who were asked to write down their feelings of gratefulness were shown to experience less depression and stress when compared to the other two groups. When Dr. Emmons was asked to explain the findings, he stated that through other recent studies he has been able to conclude that practicing gratitude can boost your happiness levels by around 25%. This is a significant increase, because many illnesses and health problems are caused by stress and depression – the ability to boost happiness levels by 25% should not only sound appealing in its raw form, but the health benefits associated alongside it show why so many people are beginning to notice the importance of gratitude in their day to day life. Another finding of the study was that those who regularly practice gratitude are usually more creative, recover quicker from upsets and fall backs, develop stronger immune systems and are able to maintain better relationships with people than those who don’t practice it. It’s interesting to note the amount of physical differences that can be achieved through practicing gratitude. Dr. Emmons goes on to state that, “To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.” So how exactly can the average person practice gratitude in their day-to-day life? The easiest way according to various psychologists is the keep a gratitude journal just like the participants of the study did. Sarah Breathnach first introduced this method in her book Simple Abundance Journal of gratitude. The method consists of writing down ten things every day that you are...
read moreWhat is Emotional Quotient?
While it is often misunderstood as intelligence quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient is different because instead of measuring your general intelligence, it measures your emotional intelligence. Emotional Quotient is the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions to facilitate high levels of collaboration and productivity. In the business environment, Emotional Quotient is important because it helps you leverage your awareness of emotions for effectiveness in the workplace. Why is emotional intelligence (EQ) so important? As we know, it’s not the smartest people that are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. You probably know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual intelligence (IQ) isn’t enough on its own to be successful in life. Yes, your IQ can help you get into college, but it’s your EQ that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing your final exams. Emotional intelligence affects: Your performance at work. Emotional intelligence can help you navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in your career. In fact, when it comes to gauging job candidates, many companies now view emotional intelligence as being as important as technical ability and require EQ testing before hiring. Your physical health. If you’re unable to manage your stress levels, it can lead to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to relieve stress. Your mental health. Uncontrolled stress can also impact your mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are unable to understand and manage your emotions, you’ll also be open to mood swings, while an inability to form strong relationships can leave you feeling lonely and isolated. Your relationships. By understanding your emotions and how to control them, you’re better able to express how you feel and understand how others are feeling. This allows you to communicate more effectively and forge stronger relationships, both at work and in your personal life. The Five Areas of Emotional Quotient The five areas are within interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to understand oneself, while interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand others. Intrapersonal Emotional Quotient • Self-Awareness – The ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others. • Self-Regulation – The ability to control or re-direct disruptive impulses and moods and the propensity to suspend judgment and think before acting. • Motivation – A passion to work for reasons that go beyond money and status and a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. Interpersonal Emotional Quotient • Social Skills – A proficiency in managing relationships and building networks. • Empathy – The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people....
read moreThe A2Z Series
With the launch of our A2Z Series, we have some amazing Bookeys in store for you. For example these are just some of the new and many titles we are currently working on: Confidence Time Management Diversity and Gender Panic Attacks Depression Mindfulness Happiness Money Success Humility Insurmountable Challenges Good Health Healthy Eating Exercise If you write for us on a subject close to your heart please let us know. We are also looking for great designers and illustrators and ideas to develop an explosive range of Bookeys. So support us in supporting you and our community. For more information please email Mike Fisher on mike@a2zeq.com with your biography, blogs, illustrations, portfolio and web links. We aim to get back to you within 48 hours. Mike Fisher CEO, A2Z EQ...
read moreEQ Quiz
