Jacobs: How Can We Thank Those We Take for Granted?: New York Times - Five Ways to Exercise Your Thankfulness Muscles: Email us at or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Tell us your thoughts about this episode. More Resources for Mental Subtraction of Positive Events: Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Learn more about Stephanie and her book: Įrnst Bohlmeijer is a psychology professor who studies gratitude at the University of Twente in The Netherlands. Stephanie Foo is a radio producer and author of the book What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. Allow yourself to feel grateful that things happened as they did. Remind yourself that this positive event did happen and reflect upon the benefits it has brought you. Imagine what your life would be like now if you had not experienced this positive event and all the fruits that came from it. For example, if you hadn’t learned about a certain job opening at the right moment. Ponder on the ways in which this event may never have happened and write them down. Think about the circumstances that made it possible. Imagine yourself back in the time of this event. It could be a career or educational achievement or a special trip you took. Take a moment to think about a positive event in your life. Later in the show, Ernst Bohlmeijer breaks down how keeping a gratitude practice can alter the emotions you’re likely to experience in a given day, and maybe even change you as a person.įind the full Mental Subtraction of Positive Events practice at our Greater Good in Action website:
She even discovers her particular skill in getting the benefits of this practice by leaning into one of her PTSD symptoms.
Imagining her life if she didn’t live in New York helps Foo tap into gratitude even in the depths of winter – when she misses California the most. This week, Foo tries a practice in mental subtraction, which gratitude researcher Ernst Bohlmeijer describes as an antidote to taking things for granted. And since she’s moved to New York City, she finds herself often pining for the Golden State and the people she loves there. As a survivor of child abuse and Complex PTSD, her friends in California became her chosen family.
Foo built a network of close friends around her in California, where she grew up. But what can we do when we’re struggling to actually feel thankful? Our guest this week is author and podcast producer Stephanie Foo. Our guest tries a practice for seeing the bright side, even when you feel down. One way to feel more thankful for things is to imagine life without them. Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
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