It can be perplexing to see people who lead comfortable, social lives, but are unhappy. They have beautiful homes, lovely furnishings, great cars and handsome nest eggs, yet are haunted by anger, resentment and dissatisfaction. The idea that money can’t buy you love or happiness is a well established truism but the reason for that is less understood. There are several causes for such misery, but researchers increasingly believe one of the leading factors is a disconnect between materialism and gratitude.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines materialism, in the consumer context, as “the belief that money, possessions, and comfort are the most important things to obtain in life.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with having or wanting material possessions, but problems arise when the objects themselves become the singular focus of our striving.
University of California-Berkeley psychology professor Dr. Dacher Keltner and journalist Jason Marsh explored the issue and discovered a variety of woes associated with materialism. Their observations are supported by a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, which found that people who focus on materialism tend to be “less satisfied with their lives.” More recently, the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences published research declaring that “materialism has been consistently related to lower levels of life satisfaction."
According to Keltner and Marsh, “scientists have zeroed in on the fact that more materialistic people report particularly low levels of gratitude,” and warned against, “falling into the unhappiness trap of materialism.” But the authors provide an antidote, recommending people try to “cultivate a mindset of gratitude.” Clinical research bolsters their recommendation, including experiments in which romantic couples expressing gratitude to their partners for acts of kindness are more satisfied with their lives and relationships.
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This makes perfect sense. At the micro level, showing gratitude to someone on the occasion of them performing a good deed is simple and the results are easily understood. But things get more complicated at the macro level; to whom do we express our gratitude for decades of good fortune that outweighs the bad?
People can show gratitude to family members for their support during their lives. Husbands and wives, parents, siblings and others often play key roles in success that delivers material prosperity. Family is certainly part of the equation but not all of it. We marvel at magnificent sunsets, forests of multi-colored October leaves, and the majesty of mountains. We’re happy for rain after a dry spell, warmer weather in the spring, cooler weather in the fall. These are all good things but there’s no person to whom we can give credit or gratitude. It’s a conundrum.
Science, including the social sciences, is not allowed to take into account the supernatural. As a discipline, science is entitled to make its own rules, and that’s fine. But in following those rules, Keltner and Marsh’s antidote of cultivating a mindset of gratitude to escape unhappiness, while wise and true, is incomplete. It tells us what to do but not how to do it in the totality of our lives.
The Pew Research Center identified one way people might achieve a gratitude mindset in their January 2019 report on happiness. Pew’s analysis of this global study showed that “in the U.S. and many other countries around the world, regular participation in a religious community clearly is linked with higher levels of happiness.” (Italic in original.)
This study did not specifically focus on whether being grateful has any impact on happiness, but showing gratitude is deeply ingrained in Christianity. The importance of gratitude is spread throughout the Bible and emphasized in most church services. Perhaps the single best liturgical example of this is the Doxology, the Christian hymn that opens with the words, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
One would be hard pressed to find a better, simpler way of cultivating a mindset of gratitude than this 25-word song, known by heart and sung by millions of Christians. Its simple yet powerful message provides us with the true object of our praise and gratitude. Whether it’s something small like a green light at a busy intersection when you’re running late, or something as consequential as good health or a long career yielding the benefits of success, Christians know that these blessings and all others flow from a single source. It is to God that Christians happily proclaim their praise and show their gratitude.
Matthew’s Gospel reports that Jesus Christ asked his disciples, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” The question matters, right now and for all time. It’s okay to have nice things and money in the bank. But it’s vastly more important to know and believe why we have what we do, and to express our gratitude accordingly.
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