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Show HN: Three Things Daily – Make gratitude a daily habit
- crystalcamarao 6y agoHi, Do you want to become better at being grateful? I built a simple site where you can list 3 things you’re grateful for that day. Research shows that being grateful makes you happier and healthier. I want to help people be more grateful, especially people who are depressed. I’d appreciate your comments. Thanks!
- yboris 6y agoThere's a lot of great research on the topic of happiness - it's the field of Positive Psychology A great "how to" book is: The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky (a Ph.D. researcher in the field of study) http://thehowofhappiness.com http://thehowofhappiness.com -- this book shares the specific advice you share in your comment. A lot of great books I can recommend as well, e.g. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert and The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoSounds interesting. Thanks for sharing! I’m adding that book on Goodreads now.
- danaliv 6y agoThis is awesome. I've wanted something like this for years. Thanks so much for building it.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoAwww. Thanks for making my day!
- ducharmdev 6y agoVery minor suggestion, but using bullets and numbering is a bit visually redundant. I would probably choose one or the other vs both. Beyond that, really fun idea. It makes me happy to see an app idea with a more humanistic goal.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoSorry about that, something’s wrong with the code. Thanks for sharing!
- yboris 6y agoI also like that it's 3 rather than "list 10". There's some research on this: when people try 3, it's rather easy to succeed. If they try 10, they might find it hard, and if they run out of "good" things to list before finishing, they may erroneously conclude they have it pretty bad. Psychology is rather funny - good to study it empirically! I'm so thankful there are so many Ph.D. researchers who take it seriously and contribute to the general knowledge by writing books for the general public.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoGreat insight! I guess it’s part of why it’s doable as a habit. As James Clear pointed out in Atomic Habits, “make it easy”. Thanks for sharing!
- mercer 6y agoNice idea! I remember in my first month or two of therapy, my therapist basically kept training me to list 3 things to be grateful for, and I was mostly annoyed about how much of the therapy was about that. But, it turned out to be very effective, and being 'forced' to do my homework paid off. She later explained that she usually starts out with this 'exercise' because most of her clients are not just dealing with their particular issues, but also with those issues festering and affecting their sense of self-worth and day-to-day thinking process. And helping her clients improve in that area generally made it much easier and effective when dealing with the particulars.
- thirtythree 6y agoWhat tech stack did you use?
- crystalcamarao 6y agoHi! I made it by mostly using no-code tools. It’s built using Wordpress. I used the plugins WP User Frontend Pro and Advanced Custom Fields Pro.
- xyzelement 6y agoI am grateful for all the tools available to create quick websites :)
- crystalcamarao 6y agoYes, I am too!
- tppiotrowski 6y agoOne recurring theme: people grateful to wake up for another day. Definitely something I take for granted. It’s good to be reminded each day is a gift.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoHi! Yes, it’s something we all take for granted. Thanks for checking it out!
- loceng 6y ago"Is the cup half empty or half full?" "Be happy you have a cup!"
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI never thought of it that way. Thanks for sharing!
- cmehdy 6y agoThe real recurring theme is that "I", "me", or "my" ends up appearing a minimum of one time per person and day. After decades of severe depression, it isn't entirely surprising to me that there must be an "I" to experience positive things in order for gratitude to give a lasting impact to the mood. "I'm grateful for people who remove landmines, for talented artists creating beauty in the world, for little caring gestures that strangers have for each other." But this reads more abstractly than when there's a person to actually experience its consequences directly, and it feels very different from the inside too as it holds little connection to the self. It's a good habit nonetheless, because if anything it is a mechanical workout to cultivate a capacity for empathy (for self in healthier people perhaps, but in general otherwise).
- crystalcamarao 6y agoYou make a good point! Being grateful for things that, as you put it, hold little connection to us surely helps because it makes us better people. Thanks for sharing!
- StacyC 6y agoVery nice! Gratitude is good for the soul.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoHi! Yes it is. Thanks for checking it out!
- DC1350 6y agoI don’t want to read what other people are grateful for because it just reminds me that the things I’m missing are actually important. A piece of paper and a pen works better.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI understand, the goal isn’t to compare yourself with others but to encourage each other. Thanks for sharing!
- plauribre 6y agoI think you'd find that a slight shift in perspective on this will do wonders. Try imagining that the person posting is your best friend on a good day. Or your mom. Or your dog. Or anyone/thing else you unconditionally hope receives good things in life. That might turn some of them into boosts to your happiness (I want good things for person x: imagine good things happening to person x = good thing for me).
- crystalcamarao 6y agoThat’s a great perspective to have! Thanks for sharing!
- talmr 6y agoSeems like the site is an outlet for gratitude. So many people are practicing gratitude there! Don’t doomscroll through their gratitudes if that’s distracting for you, and if pen and paper works better for you then that’s amazing! Goal is to just be grateful :)
- crystalcamarao 6y agoYes that makes sense. Thanks for sharing!
- DC1350 6y agoIt’s just toxic positivity and bragging. Gratitude is useful for people with bad lives to find something small to cheer themselves up. It’s not for healthy people who love their jobs and their family to flex on the people who can’t think of anything better than overnight oats to be grateful for. This site is not useful for anyone who actually needs help and I hate it.
- dhumph 6y agoI like the idea of this, but frankly the necessity of a login is too big of a barrier for me.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI understand, I was thinking of adding guest/anonymous posting too. Thanks for sharing!
- micdr0p 6y agoditto
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI see it is a common opinion. Will definitely look into adding guest posting, thanks for sharing!
- npsimons 6y agoI've never understood dedicating a whole darn website to such simple concepts. Perhaps that's why I'm not rich. It's three things! Just write them down somewhere. Heck, put them in a text file and check it into git. I ran into a similar mindset with someone asking about BMI on another forum I frequent and someone suggested a website. It's two math operations! Just open the calculator on your phone (yes, even flip phones have one), or on the computer you're reading this on. ETA: For those wondering, here's the three things as I heard them: 1. Something that made you smile or happy: 2. Something you are grateful for: 3. Something you did well:
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI guess part of my idea was to build a community committed to practicing gratitude. Yes, it's perfectly simple to do it on your own. But you'd be doing it on your own. :) Thanks for sharing!
- kibleopard 6y ago
- Mrnothing_ 6y agoI the only one who feels worse than before, it like all shit, sometimes life is shit. I'm not Cristian but I feel this frace encapusale my feelings Mark 9:24"I do believe; help my unbelief!"
- crystalcamarao 6y agoSorry to hear you feel that way. :(
- floverfelt 6y agoHey neat! I actually made something very similar but as a Chrome extension [1]. The issue I saw with doing this as a web app is there's nothing in a web app to actually force you to do the logging. You have to remember to do it which I didn't like. [1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/three-gratitudes/pfjadpjmhanlgkpboobbfiecohncegfd https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/three-gratitudes/p...
- crystalcamarao 6y agoYes that makes sense, my workaround with that was a daily reminder email. I’ll have to test if it works though. Thanks for sharing! Your app seems awesome!
- king_magic 6y agoResearch shows that if you list at least three things you’re grateful for everyday, you will significantly improve your mental health. Does it really, or does this line just sound good? If you're going to make a claim like this, you should probably link to peer-reviewed research that backs this up.
- floverfelt 6y agoAs best as we know it does: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-...
- king_magic 6y agoThat's great, exactly what I was looking for. OP should link to something like this.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoYes, that's a very good suggestion. Thanks for sharing!
- crystalcamarao 6y agoThanks for sharing! Here's something I found to add to that: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313845439_%27The_Three_Good_Things%27_-_The_effects_of_gratitude_practice_on_wellbeing_A_randomised_controlled_trial https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313845439_%27The_Th...
- neonological 6y agohttps://www.prevention.com/life/a20434535/how-being-selfish-makes-people-happier/ https://www.prevention.com/life/a20434535/how-being-selfish-...
- crystalcamarao 6y agoAny particular reason you shared this? A bit confused how it’s relevant.
- mncharity 6y agoFwiw, I fuzzily recall a paper some years back, which suggested some benefited more from gratitude journaling weekly, rather than daily.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI'm no expert, but will look into it. Thanks for sharing!
- TriNetra 6y agoI have used Black Lotus app [0] and on multiple occasions, its novel framework called RARE (Reflect, Act, Reinforce and Evaluate) has helped me come out of the stress/anxiety I'd suddenly found myself trapped into. There are different kinds of RARE goals depending on what you're going through at the moment (stress/lack of focus/mindfullness/etc) and each has its own duration (typically 21 days), during which you daily perform such activities like guided meditation, a guided breathing exercise, a random act of kindness, reading of some wisdom article/inspiring RAK story and many a times, expressing gratitude. 0: https://www.blacklotus.app/ https://www.blacklotus.app/
- crystalcamarao 6y agoSounds great! All those sound like good habits. Thanks for sharing!
- KerryJones 6y agoBeen doing this for a couple years now... I still have no idea if it actually makes me happy, but I enjoy the practice of it. I also write three things I accomplished in the day, no matter how large or small.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI do that too! Most of the time my gratitude journal consists of the things I accomplished that day, because I'm grateful I even get things done (I have a disorder). Thanks for sharing!
- carols10cents 6y agoI've been using The Five Minute Journal [1] (on paper) for a while (definitely not every day) and it has a gratitude component. I do enjoy how it helps prompt me to change my perspective :) [1] - https://www.intelligentchange.com/products/the-five-minute-journal https://www.intelligentchange.com/products/the-five-minute-j...
- crystalcamarao 6y agoCan I ask how it prompts to change your perspective? I might want to implement that. It’s not clear to me based on the link you gave. Thanks for sharing!
- carols10cents 6y agoFor one thing, it asks you to list 3 amazing things that happened that day, which gets you to focus on the positive rather than the negative.
- JFKKFJ 6y agoInteresting. Similar to this 'played by e-mail' Game of Joy: https://bricioledigioia.neocities.org/index.html#ilGiocoDellaGioia https://bricioledigioia.neocities.org/index.html#ilGiocoDell...
- haram_masala 6y agoMy suggestion is that you gameify this. Add daily challenges, unlock achievements, and compete with others using the app in your area. Crush your friends at staying grateful and you get exclusive skins to download for the app. Really, engagement is the key.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI was thinking of that too. Thanks for sharing!
- smusamashah 6y agoDon't. Keep it light hearted as it is now.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoI see, I guess I will have to think more about it. Thanks for sharing!
- mensetmanusman 6y agoOur family’s religious tradition incorporates this type of communication every evening. It is a delight as a parent to see how much joy it brings our children when they share with others what they are thankful for. It can be as simple as “blankets” and “blocks”, which I have witnessed and smiled about. It brings me comfort knowing that our kids will have specifically communicated their gratitude in this way about 5000 times prior to entering high school. In our area of the world, a large percentage of high school students are on anti-depression medication and the rates continue to rise. I hope this activity is one way to lean against that trend.
- sarabad2021 6y agoThis. We pray and give thanks as a family multiple times per day. Not in an empty monotonous prayer but we all chime in things and people that we're thankful for. Simple and genuine.
- crystalcamarao 6y agoSimple and genuine is the key. Thanks for sharing!
- crystalcamarao 6y agoThat’s a very good thing to teach your children. Thanks for sharing!
- maxrev17 6y agoOh man, why oh why...
- crystalcamarao 6y agoCare to elaborate?