Me Thinks

On gratitude:

Grateful people are happier, more optimistic, and healthier.  

They sleep more and exercise more, which puts them in a better frame of mind.  Grateful people are less likely to be felled by depression or stress-based ailments.  And they are likely to feel good physically. 

 Grateful people are more likely to be connected--in the way you want 

to be connected.  Grateful people give a little every day.  Their sense of identity is not as linked to materialistic outcomes. Grateful people tend to 

see things as better-rosier--than people who are not grateful.  They talk about abundance.  About how fortunate or lucky they are.  About the 

gifts they receive on a daily basis.  Andy they tend to believe they have 

more than they deserve.  Grateful people tend to not only be more 

optimistic but more energetic, and that gives them the get-up-and-go 

to bring about positive outcomes.

(Jean Chatzky in "The Difference:  How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times", 
pgs. 182-185)