Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You

by Deborah Norville

A two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist offers groundbreaking and persuasive scientific evidence to prove that gratitude is the secret key to unlocking one's full life potential, sharing powerful personal stories of thank you power in action and teaching individuals how to incorporate that power into their own lives. 90,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Spirituality, Book Club

164 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Deborah Norville is an American television broadcaster and journalist. Since 1995, she has been host of the syndicated American television program Inside Edition. She hosted Today on NBC, substitute anchored both the NBC Nightly News, and the weekend CBS Evening News, and was a host and correspondent for two CBS News magazine programs.

Reviews

[Gisela Hausmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I believe that all of us know the widsom presented in this book but it's a good reminder. I enjoyed listening to the audio edition, only the introduction was rather lame, especially from an anchor of Inside Edition. When authors present data, they need to present the whole picture. I am a stickler for presenting data correctly. If you use data, do it right. If you can't or don't want to do the work, leave out the data and make your point in other ways.
I quote just one example from this book, "According to a report in Money Magazine, if you make $50,000, you are about twice as likely to say that you are very happy than someone who makes less than $20,000. But from $50,000 in income to $90,000..."
(a) any news in that? Also, $20,000 does not present the same value in Mississippi, Illinois, and New York City.
(b) In November 2017 the Census Bureau reported that 45 million Americans live below the poverty line.
Hence this example, as a few others in this book has no value, especially not for the people below the poverty line who might benefit from reading or listening to this book. I spotted it at my library, so, though this book is aavilable even to people below the poverty line who wil probably cringe at this introduction.
Other than that, the book is pleasant, entertaining and Mrs. Norville succeeds in making her point that Thank you power works.
Recommended!
4 stars,
Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent audio book. I will listen again in future

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norville's hypothesis in this book is if you are a more thankful person, you'll realize the following benefits:

You'll be more optimistic.
You'll exercise more.
You'll think more creatively.
You'll bounce back from adversity faster.
You'll be less intimidated by challenges.
You'll have higher immune response.
You'll be more alert and interested.
You'll be more adventurous.
You'll live longer.
You'll be more likely to help others.
You'll be more likable.
You'll be more tolerant.
You'll be a better boss or team leader.
You might do better on a test.

I think Norville does an admirable job of proving her hypothesis through citing studies and anecdotes. It's a very accessible book, and although I am generally an optimistic person, it was a good reminder of how I need to focus more on counting my blessings and less on getting distracted by things that are not going my way.

Here are some basic "thank you power" suggestions culled from the book:

Make a point to say thank you to someone today.
List three things for which you are thankful--each day.
Write a gratitude letter to someone.
Say thank you to someone overdue to hear it.
Focus on something of beauty, and share it with someone else.
List three mundane things that enhance your daily life.
Think about what's not necessary.
Rent a funny video, or play with the puppies at the pet shop.
Spend 5 minutes listing as many positive life events as possible.
Envision the life you'd like.
Find a blessing in something bad.
Cut the whine.
Focus on a bad situation and how you turned it around.
Do something for someone else--no thanks expected or accepted!
What good deeds for others have you witnessed?
Use your creative side--if you have a hobby, do it! If you don't, find one!
Make or bake something, and share it with someone else.
Embrace your enemy.
Look around--what's right with your world?
Make a list of five people to connect with.
Help someone outside your comfort zone.
What do you stand for?

She has a final chapter for "people of faith," and non-Christian readers might find her occasional references to God jarring. This is a simple read, and I found it interesting to learn about the overlooked benefits of finding more opportunities in my life to be grateful.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

SKIP THIS BOOK!
p. 115 "If you observe a really happy man, you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias or looking for dinosaur eggs on the Gobi desert. HE WILL NOT BE SEARCHING FOR HAPPINESS as if it were a collar button that had rolled under the radiator striving for it as the goal itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of each day."--W. Beran Wolfe

So Norville's book tells us people who use gratitude journals are happier, but... you can't do it to get happy, and if you do it too much, or not the right way, it won't work.

Norville's book is inconsistant, never really explaining how to gain happiness, or any of the things promised at the beginning of the book. "But... if you are looking to tap imto your personal power to savor life, enjoy the moment, and effortlessly handle the challenges that inevitably will come your way...read on." FALSE ADVERTISING! I got this book because of that statement and because of Norville's name. Nothing in the book was particulary new or helpful. Most of us are already familiar with gratitude journals, and other things mentioned in the book. Norville just compiled a bunch of supposed research and threw it into chapters in a book. A quick Google search would probably produce better results. Dissapointingly, most of her "information" is quoting Dr. Isen. So it's really just a book about the results of mainly one researcher.

THIS BOOK IS GOOD FOR:
1) If you need a really short easy book for a book report/review.
2) If you need a quick easy book to "up" your books for the Reading Challenge.
3) If you need "fire wood" you can burn this book for warmth.

MY ADVICE ON BEING HAPPY:
Think about things that have made you happy, thrilled, excited, proud, etc. and go do more of those types of activities.

[Terry Koressel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled through Thank You Power. The primary reason is that I have read so many of the greatest, wisest motivational writers and speakers....Earl Nightingale, Dennis Waitely, Wayne Dyer, etc.....that those works make this book seem lackluster (at best) by comparison. Deborah Norville is a super-positive person with a wonderful, wise message. I simply struggled with the writing and the content. For example, one of the weaknesses of the book was its repetitiveness. The book would have been more readable and more impactful at half its length. Another was its over-reliance and lengthy description of anecdotal examples. Bottom line: I am a big fan of Deborah Norville as a person....just not a fan of Thank You Power the book.

[Barbara Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little gem of a book! It's a very powerful and inspirational book about the power of gratitude (thank you power). The author, is Deborah Norville, a television journalist and broadcaster. In the course of her work, she had the opportunity to interview some amazing people who faced challenges and overcame them using "thank you power." The book includes exercises for the reader to do at home - to help inspire gratitude.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grateful. Make a point of saying thank you to someone today. List 3 things for which you are thankful. Say thank you to someone overdue to hear it. List 3 mundane things that enhance your life. Spend 5 minutes listing as many positive life events as possible. Focus on a bad situation and how you turned it around. What good deeds for others have you witnessed? Make or bake something and share it with someone else. Help someone outside your comfort zone. Give thanks to God.

[Ai · Rating 5 out of 5]

ฉันขอสำนึกขอบคุณ ตัวผู้เขียนและผู้แปล (คุณพรรณี ชูจิรวงศ์) ที่แปลคำว่า Gratitude ออกมาได้อย่างสั้นกระชับ ตรงความหมายมากๆว่า สำนึกขอบคุณ หลังจากที่อ่านหนังสือเกี่ยวกับการขอบคุณมาก่อนนี้หน้าแล้ว ฉันคิดว่าหนังสือเล่มนีเติมเต็มเรื่องสำคัญในชีวิต อย่างการ รู้จัก สำนึกขอบคุณอยู่เสมอๆ ฉันมั่นใจมากขึ้นว่า "ช่วงเวลาที่เลวร้ายจะสิ้นสุดลงได้" และฉันจะผ่านมันไปได้ ด้วยความสุขมากเล็กๆน้อย ที่หล่อเลี้ยงความสงบในใจฉัน ผ่านการสำนึกขอบคุณ ขอบคุณจริงๆค่ะ สำหรับหนังสือเล่มนี้

[Sharon Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent insight, stories and research about the power of gratitude

This is an easy to read, well written book on the power of gratitude! The author has interesting, relevant stories to illustrate the principles she shares. She also shares interesting research on the science of gratitude! I found this motivating to be more grateful. I highly recommend reading this book!

[Brynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read more insightful books on the subject so didn't find anything too revealing that I didn't already know. But I enjoyed her stories and the simplicity. It was a good reminder to have a grateful mindeset.

[Joy Bratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in gratitude after reading the parable of the ten lepers. I’m surprised how few books are written about gratitude. I’m thankful that I came across this one. It helped me look at gratitude a little deeper.

[Arliegh Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of Thank You Power but by the end it was a bit repetitive

[Sylvie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real heart warning ànd make you feel good book.

[Kristin Havelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book to recommend when people are discouraged. Mindset matters!

[Bud Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read during Thanksgiving week.

[Shayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay at best

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This simple book uplifted me. The premise is that if you adopt "an attitude of gratitude" not only are you making the world a better place, you are strengthening yourself. There is now actually research to show that a)you can teach yourself to be grateful and b)your body and mind will be healthier if you are. Some of the benefits described are that you will have a better immune system; you will live longer; you will accomplish more; you will be more successful; when faced with adversity you will do well overcoming it, etc. I have always felt this way about my outlook on the world, but it was so exciting to be affirmed! Through anecdotes, Norville describes how this tool can work for anyone. It was also pointed out that being grateful doesn't mean you give up being realistic or pragmatic--I appreciated this. Some new concepts that were cool: 1)being "thankfully expectant" means that when you are grateful you can see happy things ahead. 2)"adaptive coping" means that if you practice good habits of gratitude stress and posttraumatic stress is lessened for you. 3)"elevation" is when you lift someone up positively but others witnessing that are also lifted up and feel moved to do the same for others. 4)"Eudaemonia" is the happiness of fulfillment that comes from the action itself, not the result of it. Like you are happy when you are baking for others or you are happy writing a letter to someone or you are happy when you are preparing for a guest, etc. Cool ideas!

[Norm Konzelman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some trepidation doing this review for the sake of the sparse valuable information it contained is worth knowing.
I was groaning before the end of the second chapter, wishing I had never started it. It seemed like endless bantering by someone whose favorite person to listen to was themselves. Like "just shut up for a while will you?" came to mind often :).
There were two pages of big name endorsements of the book (that should tell you all you need to know about endorsements), and it seemed more effort was made in marketing the book certainly than in writing it.
I decided to stick with it as an exercise for myself, and did have some surprises about the kinds and amount of research that has been done on gratitude, thankfulness, a persons makeup if you will, and found it really is a powerful thing to have a thankful heart factually, and did learn some valuable info.
I wouldn't now want to miss what I learned from the book, but my one biggest disappointment about it I have to mention is the lack of an object for our gratitude.
We're told how people use gratitude and how it changes things, but there is almost no "to who, or to whom". To a brick? A tree? Thin air?
Miss Norville nominally refers to God occasionally as "the man upstairs". I hate that term. Not just useless, but disrespectful to the very One all thanks is owed.
I would look into this book to have access to the bibliography and study resources, but not for any other reason.

[Jeri Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Deborah's appearance on the Rachael Ray show and was really impressed with her and the reason why she wrote this book. It piqued my interest, which is why I read it in the first place.

It is such a positive (and scientific) approach to the whole notion of being thankful and expressing gratitude. She really did her research when writing this book.

I love that she challenges her readers to recognize three good things that have happened to them throughout the day and then acknowledge gratitude for those things/events/people etc. (whether it be to a higher power or another person).

She gave this challenge to one of her kids who was struggling with school and in a few weeks the child's grades and social life had improved dramatically.

She claims that when people recognize what they have in life, they tend to be more productive and not nearly as selfish. There is less avarice and greed and a stronger desire to help those in need.

I am definitely a better person for having read it.

[Lain · Rating 3 out of 5]

While you won't find any earth-shattering revelations in this book, Deborah Norville does a great job of reminding us of the power -- and importance -- of gratitude in our lives. She has an easy-to-read style and some great reminders, but overall, the book is a bit light on the examples (and some of those she uses don't really seem to apply to the point she's trying to make). I think this book could have been a 2000-word magazine article instead of a whole book.

All the same, gratitude is important and overlooked, and I appreciate the reminder!

[Breanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like an episode of Inside Edition. I appreciated the overall message immensly though I thought that to read, this book was very choppy. I don't doubt that the theme behind this is 100% accurate and our book club had a wonderful discussion involving this book. My two stars simply came from the inability to be grabbed by this book and not from its message, that of gratitude, which is certainly a declining virtue.

[Nina]

I really enjoyed this book! I picked it up on a whim at my library ("she certainly looks like she knows what she's talking about!" I thought) and am really pleased that I did. It was an easy read about the benefits of incorporating gratitude into your life. To me it felt like a crash course in a "Positive Psychology" class I had taken in college. Everything she shares is backed up with research and examples, and Norville's tone was just absolutely pleasant.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains a bundle of great quotes, as well as a good deal of research (Ms. Norville did her "journalist's legwork" on this one) that proves how gratitude can positively influence your health and wellness. That's something I have known (and applied, to my best ability) through my own life experiences, but didn't realize people actually researched to any great length.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother taught us how important the words: "Thank You" is!! Both given verbally, but also the written note along with it!! The power those two words have for all of us. St. Paul Pioneer Press had reoommended it in one of their columns and I've never regreted buying, reading and rereading it; and reminding myself of its importance. Kathie

[Vickie T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, only 150 pages. Positive emotions and gratitude will improve your life in many ways according to numerous psychological studies. Norville briefly examines the studies and tells stories about real people and how it worked for them. I resolved to express more gratitude and avoid some the folks with negative attitudes whenever possible.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be quite uplifting. I've recommended it to a couple patients of mine who need a book on gratitude that is a little more research based and less "woo woo" than some of my other more spiritual/new agey books on the subject. I see this book as a gateway book into the deeper ones like The Power by Rhonda Byrne.

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pretty much skimmed some parts and read some others. The idea is good though, gratitude can change you, your attitudes and behaviors and can influence others for good. She has good stories and illustrates the point well.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bookclub read. There were good stories about people's life experiences and how the power of gratitude worked for them. I enjoyed the stories, but was not moved to complete all the activities throughout the book.

[Shirleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and uplifting, an easy read. I loved some of the stories of gratitude and the effects it had on people. I recommend it as a concrete reminder to incorporate gratitude in one's life, especially in this upcoming Thanksgiving season.

[Andrea M · Rating 3 out of 5]

She has some good stories about the power of gratitude but I still haven't written any "Thank yous" in my journal. Its a good book for becoming more optimistic and getting past the tough spots in the road.