Book Review: The Little Book of Gratitude

The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a life of happiness and wellbeing by giving thanks

Robert A. Emmons

Tags: Meditation, Transition Tools

Book Cover Summary: Gratitude is the simple, scientifically proven way to increase happiness and encourage greater joy, love, peace, and optimism into our lives.

Through easy practices, such as keeping a daily gratitude journal, writing letters of thanks, and meditating on the good we have received, we can improve our health and wellbeing, enhance our relationships, encourage healthy sleep, and heighten feelings of connectedness.

Easily accessible and available to everyone, the practice of gratitude will benefit every area of your life and generate a positive ripple effect.

This beautiful book, written by Dr Robert A Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis, California, discusses the benefits of gratitude and teaches easy techniques to foster gratitude every day.

Reinventurer’s Book Review: I find it difficult to remain positive and filled with gratitude when all I see is bad news, aggressive drivers, angry hateful comments on social media, and catastrophic economic and environmental projections on the horizon. What this little book brought to my attention is that I spend too much time looking in the wrong direction. There is plenty to be thankful for, if we take the time to seek it out.

The Little Book of Gratitude is a quick read packed with a variety of exercises and tools to help us change our everyday perceptions of life from empty or at least half full to abundance. The author has spent decades conducting research on the physical and emotional “side effects” of gratitude. He provides multiple ways to be grateful and show your gratitude with reasons for why we would want to take the time to do so.

I am a creature of habit and I find that my go-to response to life’s ups and downs tends to lean toward tragic instead of fortunate, curse instead of blessing, or dead end instead of easy street. Believe me, I know better, and this book was just what I needed to start doing better as well.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss:

What effects do you experience when someone shows you appreciation or gratitude?

How do you typically respond to unwarranted gifts or unsolicited compliments from others?

What benefits have you received from expressing your gratitude more often?

What strategies, cues, or tools do you use to expand your grateful heart?

How do others respond to your grateful mindset?