Well, hello!

It’s been a very long time since you’ve gotten an email from me. I got busy. But then during the pandemic, I realized (along with millions of my closest friends) that busy is the antithesis of my goal. My goal is to work with my wonderful team of analysts and incredible colleagues & clients to deliver meaningful insights to drive smart strategies.

Heading into the holidays seems like a perfect time to reintroduce the Social Studies newsletter, starting with the subject of Gratitude. ~Wendy

Gratitude may mean something different to each of us. My work and passion for social media intelligence drives me to share a few examples of how I think about gratitude through that lens.

And in the name of collaboration (for which I am extraordinarily grateful!), my colleague and friend Jason Boxt of 3W Insights will share “5 Numbers That Matter” to gratitude: what we think about it, how we express it, and maybe even a little on the science behind it. Jason is a thoughtful and brilliant researcher and brand thought-leader dedicated to data-inspired solutions to challenges facing organizations and companies. So let’s go!

Giving Tuesday

I am grateful for, I’m grateful for, I am thankful for, I’m thankful for

Gratitude is all the rage. If you think about what you are most grateful for, what comes to mind? Friends, family, opportunity? Those are the things that come to mind for me first. But. What do we say we’re most thankful for when we post on social media? Colleagues. This makes total sense since so many of us use social media for work and business relationships.

The bubble chart is such a quick read on the work emphasis of the content. And I just love bubble charts, so enjoy!

On the other hand, the posts about colleagues are the ones that resonate least with others. Retweets are much more proportionately apparent for friends, knowledge, and public servants. Engagement (comments/replies) are, not surprisingly, seen most for friends and necessities — categories that most everyone can relate to. Looking at interaction with the content is more telling about what really matters to us than looking at volume.

What do all the first person gratitude posts have in common? They bring joy.

It is curious that the volume of first person gratitude content peaked in 2018 and has been declining ever since. Why? The pandemic caused havoc and the divisiveness of news and politics and the goings on might explain some of that. I’m curious what you think is driving this trend?

Gratitude

What if you simply want to understand the usage of the word gratitude over the years? Looking at the volume over time, it appears that the word was used the most in social media messaging in 2020 — a year that had us all expending energy thinking about to adjust to incredible change and isolation and also reflecting on who and what matters the most to each of us.

It’s not lost on me that the hashtag in the gratitude conversation that comes in second is #love.

And it’s the simple things, the peaceful things that rise to the top of the conversation. Nature, yoga, life, love.

What is gratitude?

According to Robert A. Emmons, one of the key researchers in the field of gratitude, gratitude has two core components—first as “an affirmation of goodness” and then as a way for us to acknowledge that the “sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves.”

And now, to the numbers.

71 – the percentage of Americans that are feeling “extra thankful” for the people in their life this year

Let’s face it – the last few years have been rough. But the holidays are the time when we can really connect with and even lean on the people in our lives who we love and cherish. Relationships are a key element in what defines our humanity, and as we emerge from COVID, reestablishing relationships has been top of mind for many, many people. From a business perspective, this is no less important, as 40% of Americans say they even have a strong relationship with a small business! Even before COVID we had been trending in that direction, with hyper-personalized microtargeting allowing companies to reach people on a first name basis, and customers themselves aligning with brands that best suited their moral compass and personal, individual brand. The holiday season this year will present the most obvious moment yet for companies to deeply connect with their customers, families to connect with their loved ones, and friends to seek the comfort of those who know them best. Reference.

16 – The latest US ranking in the World Happiness Report

What is it about those Nordic countries?!? Finland and Denmark hold the 1-2 rankings in the most recent World Happiness Report (no, I’m not making this thing up). We are in the top 20 though, which I guess is good, all things considered. The Gallup World Poll serves as the foundation for this report, which takes myriad factors into consideration when making these assessments. Leave it to say, we have room to grow! But you’ll have to read the report yourself to find out how (bring your A math game). 😊 Reference.

1965 – The year “World Gratitude Day” was recognized (of course it was in Hawaii).

National Gratitude Month is more importantly (to me). Studies show that gratitude makes us more healthy, both mentally and physically. It also improves teamwork, something that I think a lot of companies in the US should be more aware of (not thinking specifically of any companies – just saying). Personally, I’m a little more excited about Giving Tuesday given the call to action, but any effort to elevate our relationship with gratitude is ok in my books. Reference.

35 – The (minimum) number of benefits associated with gratitude

I feel like I might have buried the lede with this one, as this article points out a whole bunch of different ways that measurably show the benefits of gratitude. From contributing to happiness, improving retention, to strengthening romantic relationships, gratitude is the reason for the season! And as I mentioned before, receiving gratitude is as fulfilling as offering it.

My favorite little tidbit from this piece? The fact that science shows how gratitude can “transform negative memories into positive ones through the power of grateful processing that aims to bring closure to unpleasant events.” I mean seriously, how many of us have dwelled way too long on the bad stuff? This is also a killer management tool, as a critical area of growth for any young associate is to learn from mistakes, appreciate the constructive feedback they get from more senior colleagues, and to move on knowing they have learned something new. Reference.

65 – The percentage of Americans who report being very happy (and are also most likely to “always” give thanks)

It is quite hard to mail down some consistent data on how often people express gratitude, in part I believe because how one displays gratitude can be a bit subjective. In this survey, for example, Americans say they only express gratitude – on average – six times a month. I think Ebenezer Scrooge must have met that low bar.

But in a survey *I* just fielded, I asked US adults how often did they “openly express gratitude in an average day?” This survey is hot off the presses, so I don’t yet have any interesting crosstabs just yet, but my survey of US adults shows that nearly one in four Americans say they openly express gratitude at least 5 times a DAY.

What is most important about this study – and we find it in other studies as well – is the correlation between gratitude and happiness. Gratitude, in the words of this pollster, “rewires their brain to look for positives instead of negatives.” I have been around enough “glass half empty” to know that the “half full” types are the ones I would want to bunker down with – wouldn’t you? I wonder if employers shouldn’t be including a battery of questions about gratitude in their recruitment process…. Reference.

Given the length of this data-filled newsletter, we’ll spare you all any bonus numbers. But we would like to ask a favor of you. Could you forward this to 3 people you know who might appreciate the information? Could be friends, family, or even clients. We promise, we’ll be grateful. (and the newsletter will be more succinct next time!) 😊

Thank you! ~Wendy & Jason