The Wednesday before Thanksgiving might be my favorite day of the year. It’s all people traveling thousands of miles to find their families, flipping through cookbooks to find just the right recipe, padding around in socks, and piling with sisters and brothers on old family sofas to watch really bad/funny movies. (I even love seeing all the multi-generations of families out at supermarkets and restaurants together, noticing how grandpa’s nose has had some real genetic staying power.)
So, while we’re all feeling thankful for having each other today, I wanted to point you over to this study I read about over the weekend. Those exact feelings of gratitude you’re feeling today could help you reign it in this holiday season.
In this study, researchers asked 75 people to write down a time they were grateful, amused, or a typical day. And then they were given a financial test (like, would you take $17 now or $100 in a year?)
The people who had just recalled a memory of feeling grateful were more likely to make wiser financial decisions and delay immediate gratification.
Interesting.
Of course, I gave it a non-scientific test at home. (I’ve been wanting this one sweater, thoroughly impractical for my current lifestyle. My grateful memory kicked it to the curb in almost an instant.)
Give it a try as you brave the stores this December.
And, of course, safe travels today and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
