Every November, you hear people talk about gratitude—about giving thanks and acknowledging the good things you have as well as your ability to withstand the bad ones. You hear it so much that it may even begin to feel a little cliché: "Oh, geez, here we go, another spiel about gratitude." But few people actually explain why it's so important. Here's one reason you might not have heard. When something is good in your life, it's good for intrinsic reasons. Good health helps you live well and avoid pain and suffering. Good relationships are fun and make life better. A nice car and beautiful home are great to drive and live in, respectively. There's no mistaking intrinsic benefits like those. But when you introduce gratitude, you get extra benefits. Gratitude is a force magnifier, heaping additional pleasure, joy, and good feelings onto something that was already providing those. Best of all, gratitude bleeds over into the unpleasantness of life. When you truly feel gratitude for what you have, it starts to drown out the bad feelings you get when things don't go as planned. And so instead of rolling your eyes as Thanksgiving approaches and the calls for gratitude rise, consider listening. | 
