But what about when life goes badly? If you begin to see that everything you have, everything you have counted on, may be taken away, it becomes much harder to take it for granted. So crisis can make us more grateful—but research says gratitude also helps us cope with crisis. There is scientific evidence that grateful people cope with stress easier, whether minor or major ones. To say that gratitude is a helpful strategy to handle hurt feelings does not mean that we should try to ignore pain. Some years ago, I interviewed people with illnesses. I asked them to let themselves re-create that experience in their minds so that they could feel the emotions. In the face of diseases, people often find life extremely challenging, painful. I wondered whether it would even be possible for them to find anything to be grateful about. I would not feel surprised if anger beats gratefulness. As it turned out, most people simply had so much in their lives that they were grateful for. I was surprised by the depth of feeling that they showed, and by the power of gratitude in many of their lives. If you are troubled by a past unpleasant experience, here are some questions to ask yourself: What lessons did the experience teach me? Can I find ways to be thankful for what happened to me now even though I was not at the time it happened? What ability did the experience draw out of me? Remember, your goal is not to forget the experience but rather to get a new idea on it. This is an advantage that grateful people have—and it is a skill that anyone can learn. People tend to be thankful when ____.

When life is going well, gratitude allows us to celebrate. But what about when life goes badly? If you begin to see that everything you have, everything you have counted on, may be taken away, it becomes much harder to take it for granted. So crisis can make us more grateful—but research says gratitude also helps us cope with crisis. There is scientific evidence that grateful people cope with stress easier, whether minor or major ones. To say that gratitude is a helpful strategy to handle hurt feelings does not mean that we should try to ignore pain.

Some years ago, I interviewed people with illnesses. I asked them to let themselves re-create that experience in their minds so that they could feel the emotions. In the face of diseases, people often find life extremely challenging, painful. I wondered whether it would even be possible for them to find anything to be grateful about. I would not feel surprised if anger beats gratefulness. As it turned out, most people simply had so much in their lives that they were grateful for. I was surprised by the depth of feeling that they showed, and by the power of gratitude in many of their lives.

If you are troubled by a past unpleasant experience, here are some questions to ask yourself: What lessons did the experience teach me? Can I find ways to be thankful for what happened to me now even though I was not at the time it happened? What ability did the experience draw out of me?

Remember, your goal is not to forget the experience but rather to get a new idea on it. This is an advantage that grateful people have—and it is a skill that anyone can learn.

People tend to be thankful when ____.

• A. things go well
• B. things go badly
• C. things go unexpected