Robert A. Emmons

Brief Biography

Robert A. Emmons was born in 1958.

Emmons received his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1980 from the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

He obtained his master’s degree in personality psychology in 1984 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his PhD in 1986 from the same institution with a major in personality psychology and a minor in clinical psychology.

The title of Emmons’s doctoral dissertation was “Personal Strivings: An Approach to Personality and Subjective Well-Being.”

In 1986, Emmons obtained his first job as an assistant professor of psychology with Michigan State University at East Lansing.

Two years later, in 1988, he moved to the University of California at Davis, where he has spent the rest of his career.

In 1990, Emmons was promoted by UC-Davis to the rank of associate professor, while in 1996 he obtained the rank of full professor.

In addition, Emmons has taught as a visiting professor at several colleges and universities.

He is also founding editor and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology.

Emmons is the author or co-author of a half dozen popular books about gratitude, as well editor or co-editor of several academic texts and anthologies on the subject.

Finally, Emmons has published around 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and presented more than 50 invited talks and lectures at academic conferences.

Notable Quotes

Note: The original sources of the following quotations attributed here to Robert A. Emmons are provided where known. If no specific source is mentioned, then the attributed quotation may be assumed to derive from or (perhaps via paraphrase) be inspired by Emmons’s many academic and popular writings.

Emmons on Emmons

I was researching the concept of happiness back in graduate school. We didn’t call it happiness back then, because happiness didn’t have a very scientific‑sounding name to it. We instead preferred to use the name subjective well‑being, which sounds a lot more scientific, have a lot more credibility.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

We’re interested in looking at the characteristics of happy people. Who is happy? Why are they happy? What are the predictors that distinguishes between the most happy from the least happy individual? . . . 

Gratitude was one, which from the perspective of history was an important one, that philosophers, theologians, religious traditions all said that a happy person, a person who is fulfilled, deeply so, is one who is grateful.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

There was no research on this topic. I thought that is a huge gap here between what people are saying is important, historically, and contemporary research. I was trying to do something about that huge gap.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

[Interviewer]: Even the fact that you were focusing on positivity, happiness, positive affections, positive emotions, that was a shift.

[Emmons]: That’s true. We all knew about the terrible Ds—divorce, dysfunction, depression, distress, despair, disappointment, death, all the terrible Ds. We knew relatively little about positive human functioning, including things like happiness, optimism, well‑being, satisfaction with life.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

I like to think my empirical work is informed by my reflections rooted in theology and how I think about the nature of God, the issue of humanity and how we should relate to God. . . . Certainly, I wouldn’t study these topics if it weren’t for my faith. It just gives me that motivation that tells me these are important topics. These are how we relate to God and how we relate to each other. That makes them critical for understanding human functioning, particularly in the realm of well‑being.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

My field, originally, was personality psychology. . . . I was trained as a personality psychologist. In personality psychology, we’re trying to account for the whole person. Other fields of psychology are little parts of the person, fragments of the individual.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

When I talk to people about gratitude or tell people that I study gratitude, the reaction I get is just so overwhelmingly positive and affirming. It’s like, “It’s about time someone’s done this.” Or they’ll talk about personal experiences they found very powerful or transformational. Everybody has a story to tell about gratitude.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

Gratitude,

—Achieving:

Gratitude is a skill and a virtue that requires cultivation and practice. It’s not something that comes naturally to most of us; it’s something we have to intentionally develop.

The more we express gratitude, the more we find to be grateful for. It’s a self-reinforcing cycle that can lead to profound changes in our lives.

In everyday life, we are given a choice in how we view the world around us. We can choose to see it through the lens of deprivation and scarcity, or we can choose to see it through the lens of abundance and sufficiency. Gratitude allows us to see the latter.

—Aspects of:

The practice of gratitude is not just about being thankful for the good things. It’s also about being thankful for the difficult things. Because gratitude is ultimately about learning to live gracefully with and within the tensions of life.

Gratitude is not about denying the negative aspects of life; it’s about finding a way to hold the negative and the positive in tension, without letting one overwhelm the other.

Gratitude reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves and fosters a sense of belonging and purpose.

Gratitude is not just a reaction to receiving—it’s a response to the gifts of life itself.

Gratitude is a practice that transforms our ordinary experiences into extraordinary moments of appreciation.

Gratitude is a way of life, a commitment to appreciating the good in our lives and recognizing the sources of that goodness.

—Definition of:

Gratitude is a disciplined appreciation, a conscious choice to look at life in ways that foster feelings of thankfulness.

—Effects of:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

The grateful mind reaps massive benefits in terms of health, happiness, and social relationships. When you focus on the good, the good gets better.

Gratitude is the foundation of a meaningful life. It’s what gives life its richness and depth.

Gratitude is the ultimate performance-enhancing substance. Grateful people are happier, more resilient, and less stressed.

Gratitude is transformative. It can turn common days into thanksgivings, routine jobs into joy, and ordinary opportunities into blessings.

Gratitude heals, energizes, and transforms lives. It makes us resilient in the face of adversity and helps us savor the good times.

Gratitude empowers us to take charge of our emotional lives and, as a consequence, our bodies reap the benefits.

The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks (2016).

I know people like happiness, but it doesn’t have the same ability to inspire them and energize them like gratitude does.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

—Empirical Approach to:

It’s really fascinating that, nowadays, we can use the tools of modern science to shed some light on issues that have been around for a long time. Scientists, especially psychologists, are relative newcomers when it comes to exploring some of these topics.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

People want to be convinced. They want to see the numbers, even if something is in their philosophical tradition or religious teaching, it’s something they know about, until you put data to it, it’s somehow seen as not quite as real, or not quite as valid, or credible.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

Sometimes, we need to stop and step back a little bit and reflect on what it is what we’re doing or asking people to do with some of these techniques and interventions that we’re creating.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

—Happiness and:

A happy person, a person who is fulfilled, deeply so, is one who is grateful.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

Gratitude is the antidote to the negative emotions that derail our efforts to become happier.

Gratitude allows us to celebrate the present and magnify positive emotions. It is a vital factor in our happiness.

—Kierkegaard and:

The philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, suggested that in thankfulness, a person’s relationship to God and others gives birth to a self‑awareness that constitutes his being.

—Meaning and:

It really is a way of constructing meaning, making meaning in life. When I see life as full of gifts and I’m a receiver, or the basic aspect of life is being a sense of profound giftedness, our entire life is one big gift—that puts so much else into perspective. It enables me to organize my experience. And seeing myself as the recipient of giftedness, as well as a potential giver of my own gifts onto other people, that constitutes my identity—a recipient as well as a giver of grace. It can become a central narrative theme to people’s lives.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

—Moral Dimension of:

Gratitude is not only an emotional response to goodness but also a moral virtue—a character trait that shapes our attitudes and actions.

Gratitude is the antidote to entitlement. It shifts our focus from what we think we deserve to what we have been given.

Gratitude works because, as a way of perceiving and interpreting life, it amplifies the good.

Gratitude is a recognition of the good things in life; it’s not just a feeling but a virtue we develop over time.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It transforms our perception of scarcity into an awareness of abundance.

Gratitude is an attitude of humility that recognizes the gifts we have received and the grace that sustains us.

Gratitude is a spiritual practice, a way of moving through life with a sense of reverence for the goodness that exists in every moment.

The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.

Gratitude is an affirmation of goodness. It affirms that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.

Living gratefully begins with affirming the good and recognizing its sources. It is the understanding that life owes me nothing and all the good I have is a gift, accompanied by an awareness that nothing can be taken for granted.

The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks (2016).

—Nature of:

Gratitude is a choice. It’s more than a feeling; it’s a way of life. It’s a practice.

Gratitude is more than just a warm fuzzy feeling. It’s a life stance, a way of viewing the world and everything in it.

When we cultivate gratitude, we cultivate a way of being in the world that is open, receptive, and joyful.

Gratitude is a way of life. It’s about living in a state of awareness and appreciation for the abundance that surrounds us.

Gratitude is the gateway to a life overflowing with fulfillment, joy, and meaning.

Gratitude is fertilizer for the mind, spreading connections and improving its function in nearly every realm of experience.

The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks (2016).

—Personality Psychology and:

Personality psychology is about the whole person, the whole individual and his or her social context. I thought it was so ironic that here we are claiming, reporting to study the whole person. In fact, the majority of people in the research aspect of personality psychology were ignoring what for many people is the most important part of who they are, their spiritual side, their religious dimension of personality.

This is not right. How can we claim to do this and be so hypocritical, say “This is what’s important to people?” We’re making up all these concepts and deciding for people what should be important for them. Let’s ask them. Let’s look to see what they consider to be important aspects of their lives. It turns out that if we ignore—and I thought this was the case—if we ignore what for many people is the most important part of who they are, it really won’t matter what we study because we’re leaving out the most important ingredient.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

—Social Benefits of:

Gratitude takes us out of the transactional and into the relational. It shifts our orientation from getting to giving and receiving.

Gratitude shifts our focus from what we lack to what we have, making us more content, compassionate, and connected to others.

Gratitude is a way of seeing that acknowledges the contributions of others to our well-being and recognizes the interconnectedness of all life.

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.

Gratitude is not just a reaction to receiving—it is a response to the gifts of life itself.

Gratitude is the foundation of a meaningful life. It allows us to find joy in the present moment and cultivate hope for the future.

For a study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion a few years ago, my colleagues and I found that kids who were more grateful than their peers at age ten were, by age fourteen, undertaking more community activities and were more socially integrated. These grateful youngsters didn’t sit back and chill. They were out in the world, trying to make life better for others.

The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Wellbeing by Giving Thanks (2016).

What I found the most amazing is how I’ve been able to connect with people over this concept of gratitude. It’s been said that gratitude is the ‘remind’ and ‘bind’ emotion that reminds you who have done things for you. It binds them, connects them to you and you to them.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

—Suffering and:

You have this juxtaposition of adversity and delight or suffering and joy. I think why gratitude has such a power is because where these things come together. Gratitude is always with respect to some previous suffering or adversity that’s not been transcended.

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

Nobody, of course, wants these things to happen. We don’t want our kids to get sick and die. We don’t want economic collapse. We don’t want natural disasters. The question becomes, What do we do know because of that? How are we going to let that affect us?

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.

—Wisdom Traditions and:

It’s really fascinating that, nowadays, we can use the tools of modern science to shed some light on issues that have been around for a long time. Scientists, especially psychologists, are relative newcomers when it comes to exploring some of these topics. In some respects, it’s hard to improve on the wisdom of these traditions that have been around for so long. There’s so much richness in there. We don’t always appreciate that, because we have a tendency to want to rush out there, armed with our methods, because we’re so good at that. That’s what we do. It’s what we’re trained to do. 

Interview with Evan Rosa, “The Psychology of Gratitude: Robert Emmons on How Saying Thanks Makes You Happier,” Center for Christian Thought, Biola University, September 19, 2018.