TOW #10- " Choose to be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier."

This festive article caught my eye as I was searching this week for something to read.  Arthur C. Brooks writes about how to be grateful during the Thanksgiving season, and during everyday life.  Brooks is a writer, a professor at Syracuse, and most importantly, a grateful man.  In his text, "Choose to be Grateful.  It Will Make You Happier." he uses scientific studies and personal anecdotes in order to convince his audience that forcing the feeling of gratefulness will create true feelings of gratefulness and positivity in your life.  Brooks uses scientific studies to aid him in his argument that forcing a feeling of happiness will make the feeling become real.  He reminds his audience that faking the feeling does not make you a fraud at all, and it will help you be more appreciative of things in your life.  "For example, researchers in one 2003 study randomly assigned one group of study participants to keep a short weekly list of the things they were grateful for, while other groups listed hassles or neutral events. Ten weeks later, the first group enjoyed significantly greater life satisfaction than the others."  (Brooks par. 8)  The author uses examples like these throughout his article in order to show how this forced feeling works.  The brain will recognize the bad or good feelings and people will naturally become happier or sadder.  Through the incorporation of scientific studies, Brooks strengthens his argument and adds some credibility.  He also uses anecdotes to increase credibility and show how he has used this mantra to help himself.  He talks about an email he received from a reader of his book who didn't agree with his thoughts a few years back.  Brooks expresses that his "dominant thought wasn’t resentment. It was, “He read my book!” And so I wrote him back — rebutting a few of his points, but mostly just expressing gratitude for his time and attention." (par. 15)  Through Brooks anecdote, he shows how expressing gratefulness can make someone happier even in a situation such as this one.  Even when someone was arguing with him, calling him a fraud, and refuting what he wrote in a book, Brooks stayed positive.  He then shares the effects of his gracious feelings when he writes, "I felt good writing it, and his near-immediate response came with a warm and friendly tone." (par. 15)   By expressing the positive effects of his decision on his reaction to this reader, the author can show the audience why gracious feelings are better than feelings of anger or resentment and can produce a mutual feeling of happiness for both parties involved.  Brooks successfully convinces his audience that feelings of gratefulness, even if they are forced, can improve your overall quality of life.  This is definitely something to keep in mind this holiday season!