NO ONE HAS IT HARDER THAN THEIR FATHER DID:

In a trio of studies published in 2003, for example, psychologists Robert Emmons of UC-Davis and Michael McCullough of the University of Miami found that individuals who deliberately focused on gratitude as part of their weekly or daily routine experienced a range of "emotional, physical, or interpersonal benefits," including greater happiness, better sleep, and stronger connections to other people.

Discussing their results, Emmons and McCullough emphasized the connection between gratitude and relationships. "The experience of gratitude, and the actions stimulated by it, build and strengthen social bonds and friendships," they explained. "Moreover, encouraging people to focus on the benefits they have received from others leads them to feel loved and cared for by others."

Separate research, by psychologists Sara Algoe of the University of North Carolina, Jonathan Haidt of NYU, and Shelly Gable of UC-Santa Barbara, examined gift-giving among college sorority sisters and how it affected the women's feelings for one another. "Gratitude," they concluded, "may initiate a relationship-building cycle between recipient and benefactor."

By the same token, a lack of gratitude can make us feel alienated, neglected, aggrieved, and resentful, thereby hampering our ability to create and maintain meaningful, positive relationships.

In short: Gratitude is an essential lubricant of social harmony.

That's true at the personal level, and also at the national level. This holiday season, many people are feeling utterly disgusted both with the state of American politics and with various trends in American culture. I sympathize. Yet we all should recognize that, if taken too far, our disgust could make things even worse. Despite America's long list of serious challenges, our political and cultural inheritance remains one of the world's most precious commodities.

The value of that inheritance--the way it enriches our lives each and every day--imposes certain responsibilities on us. We show our gratitude by acknowledging and embracing those responsibilities. To do otherwise is not only to be ungrateful, but also to weaken the historical bonds that define our identity as Americans.

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