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winter 2009 issue
•  table of contents
•  Theme Guide :: Sustainable Happiness
•  YES! Online
•  A New American Dream
•  Be Happy Anyway
•  Quote :: E.L. Konigsburg
•  10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
•  Readers Forum :: What Makes You Happy?
•  Just the Facts :: Who’s Happier?
•  Happiness-in-Action Heroes
•  Having a Voice Makes People Happy
•  Life Reclaimed
•  The Good Life Doesn’t Have to Cost the Planet
•  Rescue the Planet
•  Christmas with No Presents?
•  The Story of Stuff :: Another Way
•  Living Large in a Tiny House
•  Grief’s Hidden Gift
•  This is Your Brain on Bliss
•  Blessings Revealed
•  How Thankful Are You?
•  Sustainable Happiness Resource Guide
•  Sustainable Happiness Discussion Guide
•  Beyond the Bailout: Agenda for a New Economy
•  No Foreclosures Here
•  The Page That Counts
•  In Review :: The Green New Deal
•  YES! Picks: Favorite Green Gifts
related links
•  The Secret to Happiness
•  10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
•  other articles by author
Winter 2009: Sustainable Happiness
How Thankful Are You?
by Stephen Post and Mike McCullough
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Researchers say thankful people tend to be happy people. Take this test to find out your gratitude score.

FAMILY

1. I make a point of letting my family members know how much I appreciate them.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

2. My loved ones would say that I’m quick to thank them when they do something kind for me.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

3. I call and write my loved ones to thank them for things they have done for me.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

4. I feel uncomfortable saying “thank you” to my family members.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

5. Because I have gotten where I am in life pretty much on my own, I don’t think I owe my family anything.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

 

 

FRIENDS

6. I make it a point to let friends of mine know how much I appreciate them.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

7. I’m grateful for the things my friends have done for me.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

8. I would not be where I am in life if it were not for the support of my friends.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

9. When I think about the good things my friends have done for me, there doesn’t seem to be a lot to be grateful for.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

10. I feel like I owe my friends nothing when it comes to any of my accomplishments in life.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

NEIGHBORS
AND CO-WORKERS

11. When I think about it, there are many people in my community to whom I should be grateful.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

12. I try to say “thanks” when I am helped by neighbors or colleagues I do not know very well.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

13. I see many things that people in my community do for which I am appreciative.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

14. The people who live in my community almost never do anything that I’m thankful for.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

15. There’s not much going on in my community to feel grateful about.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

 

 

HUMANITY

16. I appreciate the people who are working to make this world a better place.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

17. When I hear about someone who has helped others, I feel appreciative that such people exist in the world.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

18. I’m thankful to live in a world with people who care about the welfare of others.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

19. There is not a lot happening in the world to feel grateful about.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

20. It’s hard to feel thankful about good things that are happening in another part of the world.

STRONGLY DISAGREE
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
STRONGLY AGREE

CALCULATE MY HAPPINESS!

 

High Gratitude (80th percentile) = 105 or higher
Gratitude (60th percentile) = 99-104
Moderate Gratitude (40th percentile) = 94-98
Low Gratitude (20th percentile)= 86-97



How did you score? Room for improvement? Perhaps you should read …


YES Story button10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
Scientists can tell us how to be happy. Really. Here are 10 ways, with the research to prove it.

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YES Archive buttonThe Secret to Happiness
Look inside at what actually gives you joy, and the good life may be closer than you thought. Read this article by David Myers from our What is the Good Life? issue.


SOURCE: Test developed by Stephen Post, director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics in the School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, and co-author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People (Doubleday, Broadway 2007); and researcher Mike McCullough, professor at the University of Miami Department of Psychology.



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