A Happy Little Thing Called "Thank You"

A Happy Little Thing Called "Thank You"
Video by Joshua Coynes

As part of his thesis project, Josh Coynes created this eight minute video. With an interest in understanding the relationship between happiness and gratitude, he developed a thesis experiment to answer the question: "How does gratitude affect college students’ stress, self-love, and happiness?"

Josh enlisted the participation of 30 Boston College students to take part in his study. He had them each sit in front of a laptop computer and begin by completing a survey, designed to measure their level of stress, self love, and happiness. Then they were asked to write about someone they are grateful for; why they are grateful, the impact of that individual on their lives, and what that person means to them. After completing this thankful essay, they were asked to call that individual and read what they had just written, aloud.

The experiment culminated with each student completing the initial survey once again. And the findings were clear. In speaking of the results of his experiment, Josh said, "The numbers matched participants’ reactions; gratitude greatly reduced stress levels and boosted self-love and happiness."

If you haven't seen the video, do so. It's beautiful to watch the reactions of the students in sharing their gratitude.

For more information, visit: http://bcgavel.com/2014/04/15/josh-coyne-a-happy-little-thing-called-thank-you/