Gratitude and Happiness among Older Adults

Abstract

Research on the concept of Happiness has attracted considerable attention in recent years focusing on how to increase and sustain the levels of happiness amongst people. Researchers have found a relation between experiencing and expressing gratitude and happiness. There is a paucity of research based upon elderly that are often neglected even with the vast population of older adults in India. Older people, due to age related risk factors that include lowered health, poverty, lack of social support and stressful events like loss of partner and peers, are more prone to low mood and lowered well-being. Thus, this requires a lot of attention morally and even professionally and finding ways that can lead to increase in happiness among them. The objective of the present research was to study the effect of gratitude on happiness among older adults and to assess the gender differences among them. This Pre-Post experimental research examined the effect of two-week gratitude intervention upon happiness amongst the participants. The sample consisted of 40 older adults (20 Males and 20 Females) living in Lucknow, India. The Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6) (McCullough & Emmons, 2002) and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Argyle & Hills, 1989) were used for obtaining data. The results showed that gratitude affects happiness among elderly people although the gratitude intervention did not lead to an increase in their happiness. There were no significant differences found in happiness and gratitude among both males and females. Thus, specific measures must be taken to improve the levels of these factors among elderly people as these are vital for the betterment of elderly people in all human societies.