Welcome back!!! So much has happened since my last post! First, for those who follow the American Football, our Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl!
Also, my life experience score went up one point, as promised last week! My score is now 41, which I realize is a pretty boring number; although a prime number, which is slightly exciting.
I received many happy birthday wishes, which was marvelous, for which I am grateful. So grateful in fact, I made a little thank you video for my personal pages. While I debated actually posting the video, I thought back to my blog and just went for it!
Additionally, I continue to make my notes of gratitude after each day. A definite trend is becoming noticeable; however, I will hold off at least one more week, though probably two, before I divulge any analysis. My recent trend of grateful posts will continue! For which I am grateful! Hopefully you experience gratitude as well!
Briefly, I will shed some light into my writing process, providing some background for the rest of this post. When I write, I constantly make notes, so I can mentally set that thought aside for retrieval later, while keeping focus on my primary objective; in fact for my book, I have a file devoted simply to notes. Anyway, while I was writing last week’s post, I was about to use the word gratitude in place of feeling grateful, which made me wonder if those are different somehow. I made a note, so I can look at it this week.
Now, fast forward to Friday night, when I learned there is essentially no difference in their meanings, other than grateful is an adjective, while gratitude is a noun. In fact, Merriam-Webster uses gratitude in the definition of grateful, and vice versa.
Well, back to the drawing board Hazel….
I continued to poke around the internet searches on this subject, when I noticed a UC Berkeley link, which drew my eye by that name alone. The link was an article with a title that started “Science of Gratitude…” Cha-ching! I may have found my drawing board!
Here’s a link to the article: https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf
The paper is quite long, so I will not pretend that I actually read all of it for this week; though I did save it for future reference, perhaps when I am back at that drawing board Hazel. Also, pretty early on, I found a section I want to explore in depth: Methods for Measuring Gratitude.
First, I am not sure why I was surprised that a paper titled “Science of Gratitude” made an attempt to quantify gratitude, but I was. I thought it was pretty difficult to quantify a feeling such as gratitude. I mean, I am grateful, but quantifiably more or less than yesterday? Probably one of those, or exactly the same? How will I know?
Secondly, I am going to do each of these, then add my comments! Before I do, I am grateful this paper is available! It’s pretty interesting so far, even beyond this one section, so thank you UC Berkeley!
Before we start, I have collapsed the questions and my answers separately, so you can answer along with me! I am grateful for WordPress and the developer of the user interface, allowing pretty easy building of pages like this!
Here we go! First one is called Gratitude of Adjective Checklist, which is super basic, and feels like I can make my results exactly whatever I want them to!
Rank 1-5 how you feel on these adjectives: 1) Grateful 2) Thankful, and 3) Appreciation.
My answers in order are 5 4 3, so I suppose that’s a 12 in total; although I am not exactly sure I fully grasp the distinction between the three adjectives.
This seems to have more of a longitudinal structure, so we cannot glean much from these numbers at this point of time; however, I do find it interesting pondering Appreciation in comparison to Grateful, while also listing Thankful as a separate question. Note to self: make note of that for future use!
Next is Gratitude Questionnaire-6, which is more complicated than the first, but remains somewhat arbitrary without context of another time or person. These first two are supposed to measure “trait” gratitude, which means dispositional gratitude or the emotion of gratitude. I hope that helps you, because it only makes the picture slightly clearer for me!
Using the scale below as a guide, write a number beside each statement to indicate how much you agree with it.
1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 = slightly disagree 4 = neutral 5 = slightly agree 6 = agree 7 = strongly agree
— 1. I have so much in life to be thankful for.
— 2. If I had to list everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list.
— 3**. When I look at the world, I don’t see much to be grateful for.
— 4. I am grateful to a wide variety of people.
— 5. As I get older I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events, and situations that have been part of my life history.
— 6**. Long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to something or someone.
**reverse scoring
My answers go in this order, 6, 7, 4, 4, 7, 6 – notice this reverse scoring for questions 3 and 6, which I took into account with these numbers.
What I appreciate about this one is setting parameters around what I am grateful for, while still leaving room for those items I can be unhappy about, such as the attacks on transgender kids in state legislatures across this country. While I agree I have so much to be thankful for; my kids, my long list of friends, my employment situation, and realizing the person I am, which give questions 1 and 2 high numbers. I think there is much in this world that I am less than grateful for, or let’s be honest that these things truly upset me!
Okay, third on the list is the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test, or GRAT if you want to impress at a dinner party. This test introduces subscales, which get beyond the “trait” gratitude I mentioned above, albeit as a total novice to this.
The GRAT Short Form is a 16-item scale designed to measure an individual’s dispositional gratitude. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Gratitude_Resentment_and_Appreciation_Scale.pdf
Instructions: Please provide your honest feelings and beliefs about the following statements which relate to you. There are no right or wrong answers to these statements. We would like to know how much you feel these statements are true or not true of you. Please try to indicate your true feelings and beliefs, as opposed to what you would like to believe.
Respond to the following statements by circling the number that best represents your real feelings. Please use the scale provided below, and please choose one number for each statement (i.e. don’t circle the space between two numbers), and record your choice in the blank preceding each statement.
1 I strongly disagree
2
3 I disagree somewhat
4
5 I feel neutral about the statement
6
7 I mostly agree with the statement
8
9 I strongly agree with the statement
_____ 1. I couldn’t have gotten where I am today without the help of many people.
_____ 2. Life has been good to me.
_____ 3. There never seems to be enough to go around and I never seem to get my share.
_____ 4. Oftentimes I have been overwhelmed at the beauty of nature.
_____ 5. Although I think it’s important to feel good about your accomplishments, I think that it’s also important to remember how others have contributed to my accomplishments.
_____ 6. I really don’t think that I’ve gotten all the good things that I deserve in life.
_____ 7. Every Fall I really enjoy watching the leaves change colors.
_____ 8. Although I’m basically in control of my life, I can’t help but think about all those who have supported me and helped me along the way.
_____ 9. I think that it’s important to “Stop and smell the roses.”
_____ 10. More bad things have happened to me in my life than I deserve.
_____ 11. Because of what I’ve gone through in my life, I really feel like the world owes me something.
_____ 12. I think that it’s important to pause often to “count my blessings.”
_____ 13. I think it’s important to enjoy the simple things in life.
_____ 14. I feel deeply appreciative for the things others have done for me in my life.
_____ 15. For some reason I don’t seem to get the advantages that others get.
_____ 16. I think it’s important to appreciate each day that you are alive.
Scoring: The following items should be reverse scored: 3, 6, 10, 11, 15.
The following items form the Lack of a Sense of Deprivation (LOSD) factor: 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 15. The following items form the Simple Appreciation (SA) factor: 4, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16.
The following items form the Appreciation for Others (AO) factor: 1, 5, 8, 14.
Total is from all items
My scores in order: 4 6 7 8 6 5 8 7 9 6 9 7 6 8 7 9 – reversed appropriate responses
Lack of a Sense Deprivation: 40 > Average = 6.67
Simple Appreciation: 47 > Average = 7.83
Appreciation of Others: 25 > Average = 6.25
My initial thought is intrigue. I feel as though I do appreciate others greatly; however, as I look back at the questions, I do see a nuance on the questions for Appreciation of Others. Specifically, these are more about helping me get to where I am. The reality is due to my life circumstances (moving cities > divorce > transition), the vast majority of people in my life are friends I made in recent years.
Further, I clearly greatly appreciate the simple things (answers 8, 8, 9, 7, 6, and 9), meaning the other items pale in comparison. I am truly grateful for having my wonderful friends in my life, rather than gratitude for what they have done for me, which perhaps that’s more on the simple things? This is how I reconcile this within my life.
That was a fun one! Next one has my favorite name, the Transpersonal Gratitude Scale, which is another 16 question test this time with four subtypes and only a 1-6 scale.
Here’s a link: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bbm:978-3-319-41030-2/1.pdf
1 Strongly disagree
2 Disagree
3 Slightly disagree
4 Slightly agree
5 Agree
6 Strongly agree
1. _____ Thinking of the blessings that I’ve received helps me to appreciate life.
2. _____ I show appreciation to others when they have positively influenced my life.
3. _____ Gratitude helps me to feel open with others.
4. _____ I say prayers of thanks for everything I have.
5. _____ Gratitude helps me to feel loving toward others.
6. _____ I feel grateful for just being alive.
7. _____ It is difficult for me to express my gratitude. (Reverse Scoring)
8. _____ I become overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude.
9. _____ I know there is a divine presence that is blessing me.
10. _____ I go out of my way to acknowledge favors.
11. _____ Gratitude helps me to address obstacles in my relationships.
12. _____ I am grateful to a divine being for everything in my life.
13. _____ I have patience when I feel gratitude.
14. _____ I thank God for the good things I have in my life.
15. _____ I tell my friends that I am grateful for them.
16. _____ I am grateful for the opportunities I have had in my life
Again my scores in order: 5 6 4 2 5 6 6 3 2 4 3 2 5 3 6 6
Expression of Gratitude (2, 7, 10, 15): 22
Transcendent Gratitude (1, 6, 8, 16): 20
Value of Gratitude (3, 5, 11, 13): 17
Spiritual Connection (4, 9, 12, 14): 9
The Expression of Gratitude is a response to receiving gifts or benefits from someone, or through a heightened sense of connection with another. A recognition that someone has gone out of his/her way to benefit you creates a motivation to express gratitude to that person. In this dimension, the emotion experience of gratitude is enhanced and deepened through the intentional outward expression of the emotion.
The Value of Gratitude is recognition of the effect that gratitude has on interpersonal relationships. The feeling and expression of gratitude has a positive effect on relationships, creating openness and intimacy. In this dimension, the emotion experience of gratitude adds value to the perceived quality and depth of the relationship. Relationships are enhanced when gratitude is present.
Transcendent Gratitude results from feeling a benefit that comes from outside of the self, such as the blessings and opportunities encountered in life. In this domain, there is often an intra-personal shift in perception, transforming a worldview to one of abundance. The emotion experience of transcendent gratitude may be intense and powerful.
Spiritual Connection involves the attribution of benefit as coming from a divine or spiritual source or from God. It is not necessary to believe in a God to attribute benefit to a spiritual presence. In this dimension, there is a conscious appraisal of benefit that elicits the emotion experience of gratitude as having a spiritual origin, and experiencing a sense of connection to that divine presence. How one interprets this connection can depend on a personal view of the spiritual nature of life.
I enjoy this one immensely! For one, I expected Expression to be high for me, because it’s pretty easy for me to convey gratitude towards those people or things I feel. Secondly, my spirituality exists in here, but it’s not in the parameters of organized religion, which I sensed the questions teasing out. That is probably more for another week!
Finally, the other two dimensions are fascinating to me, particularly the Transcendent dimension, for real trans jokes aside! The comparison of intra-personal shifts in that dimension, compared to the interpersonal relationships within the Value of Gratitude dimension, sparks curiosity I may explore more deeply, if only to assuage my own curiosity.
The final measure is newer, which means it was the most challenging to track down, and I am not totally certain I have it all as the authors intended. Regardless, it’s called the Multi-Component Gratitude Measure, and I feel we have enough for our purpose, so let’s go!
Link is here, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590108/full#supplementary-material
If this doesn’t work, use https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590108/full then scroll down to Supplementary Material and click that link. As I mentioned, this one wasn’t the easiest to find!
The scale is similar to the others, where 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agrees with numbers fitting between those for scale. There are six dimensions, which confuses me, but again, I should be grateful for focus and parsimony.
Questions (* means reverse scale)
Feelings of Gratitude
There are so many people that I feel grateful towards
There are so many people that I feel grateful for
I feel appreciative of the support of many people in my life’s journey
I feel grateful for people in my life
Thinking about all I have to be grateful for makes me feel happy
There are many things that I am grateful for
Attitudes of Appropriateness
*Gratitude should be reserved for when someone does not want anything in return
*Gratitude should be reserved for when someone intends to benefit you
*I only show gratitude to people who have benefitted me without wanting anything in return
*I only show gratitude for the things that are not already due to me/are mine by right
*I only show gratitude towards people who clearly intended to benefit me
I only feel grateful when the benefit is of genuine value to me
Behavioral Shortcomings
*I forget to let others know how much I appreciate them
*I forget to reflect on the things that I am grateful for
*I overlook how much I have to be grateful for
*I forget to remind myself that there is so much in life to be thankful for
Rituals/Noticing Benefits
I stop to recognize all the good things I have in my life
I recognize how many things I have to be grateful for
I stop and think about all the things I am grateful for
I reflect on all the good things I have
I remind myself of the benefits I have received
Expression of Gratitude
I make it a priority to thank others
I express thanks to those who help me
I notice the people who are kind to me
I go out of my way to thank others for their help
Attitude of Gratitude
*I don’t think it is necessary to show your gratitude to others
I believe it is important to thank people sincerely for the help they give me
I believe gratitude is an important value to have
It is important to acknowledge the kindness of other people
Feelings of Gratitude
4 5 5 5 4 4 >> Total = 27 Average = 4.5
Attitudes of Appropriateness
4 5 5 3 5 4 >> Total = 26 Average = 4.33
Behavioral Shortcomings
3 4 4 3 >> Total = 14 Average = 3.5
Rituals/Noticing Benefits
4 4 5 5 3 >> Total = 21 Average = 4.2
Expression of Gratitude
5 4 5 4 >> Total = 18 Average = 4.5
Attitude of Gratitude
4 5 5 5 >> Total = 19 Average = 4.75
For anyone else who did this, were you confused by the questions? Well, it wasn’t the specific questions, rather the questions in context of the others. There were times I had to reread, thus I couldn’t help but to reconsider how I should answer.
This one feels like too much, and the results are difficult to make any worthwhile inferences from. Most of my categories are within a small range, and the only outlier had the most confusing questions, meaning I could take this again next week and get vastly different results.
Scientific articles aren’t my focus, but I did enjoy doing these, and I hope you did as well! Ideally, this gave you some insight into your own gratitude patterns!
For me, I will probably use this information introspectively by evaluating what I can do better! I am grateful for that!
.I am grateful for you! Have an amazing week everyone!!!