College | Gratitude Lab | Gratitude Revealed by Louie Schwartzberg

Gratitude for Colleges & Universities

Gratitude exercises for professors, educators & students to share on any campus or any environment celebrating higher education. We know that each student body is unique. Please adapt the Gratitude Challenges below to fit your needs. We suggest appointing one person to manage the challenge for your group – no matter how big or small – who can then share with us how you were able to bring gratitude to your college or university!

In this lab, you can:

Watch Our Video

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Higher education is a gift… requiring a level of focus and concentration that can cause a unique level of stress in a young person’s life. Gratitude can bring a sense of calm, peace and appreciation for the journey more than just the end result. We invite you to share this Gratitude Revealed video – viewed by millions around the world – with your peers or students, and consider this refreshingly new and inspiring perspective on what it means to be truly grateful.

CREDITS

Receive Your “Gratitude Revealed” E-Book

Be the first to receive our collaborative Gratitude e-book, filled with Louie’s breath-taking photography & an inspired collection of your shared experiences from the challenges below (completed March 1, 2017).

Download DIY Gratitude Projects For College & University Students

We’ve prepared a few fun PDF downloads for you to use. Print, cut along the dotted line, and have a gratitude blast!

Earn Your Certificate of Completion:

Take Our 5-Day Gratitude Challenge For Colleges & Universities

cert

College is an incredibly concentrated time in a person’s life. While it’s easy for others to want you to “appreciate the gift,” it can be unbelievably stress-provoking during your years of higher education. We’ve created this 5-Day Gratitude Challenge for students to feel a moment of relief and possibly explore the benefits of gratitude in their lives, which have proven scientifically significant in many ways.

Directions: Find at least one “Gratitude Partner” and schedule the 5 consecutive days you’d like to commit to completing our challenge. You are welcome to participate with larger groups, including entire schools! To be included in our research, please submit your final entries by January 30th. Each day you’ll share your brief daily experience here and exit by clicking the “Save and continue later” link. That way, you’re only submitting one form per class.

Questions or comments? We’re always here to help!

To preview the entire challenge as a PDF you can print, click here.

START HERE

Step 1 of 7

Your Name*
First Last
Your Email*

Save and Continue Later

Your Location*
City State
Describe your college or university (name, public/private, size of school, your focus of studies)*
How many people are in your group for this challenge?*

Save and Continue Later

DAY 1: Frozen Good Moments
Welcome and congratulations to participating in this challenge! The goal this week will be to observe and explore (and possibly cultivate) gratitude into your busy student schedule.

You will need to carry a journal and writing utensil (tablet or computer is fine) with you throughout the next 5 days. You will also need to schedule a meeting with your partner (or group) for each day during this 5-day challenge. Phone calls are fine, video chat is better, in person is best. The duration will be a minimum of 20 minutes, and better to carve out 1 hour for this experiment. Gratitude does not need much to grow, so you’ll be fine.

Today, we observe. In your journal, throughout the day, capture moments where you see or feel gratitude. You can have fun with this, if you’d like. Take a photo with your phone, pick a memento from “the scene” (a flower, a napkin, a leaf).

Report your moments of witnessed or experienced gratitude to your partner. If a larger group, you may want to break into partners for this exercise.

When you have both shared, explore what emotions you felt in the retelling of the stories, as well as the listening of your partner’s stories. Did your heart rate go up or down? Were you engaged or distracted? Did you feel similar emotions in the retelling as you did earlier in the day? What emotions did you experience?

In the space below, describe how you interpreted and carried out the exercise. Include as many details as you are able.

In the space below, describe how you interpreted and carried out the exercise. Include as many details as you are able.
Successes
Did you perceive any difference in attitude or demeanor, or any positive way in which your group related to you or one another that struck you as related to this exercise? Were there any funny or endearing moments you'd like to share?
Challenges
Were there any difficulties with this exercise? Any disruptions, or other interferences? We'd love to hear what you struggled with, and your thoughts on any causes, and how you adjusted (or perhaps didn't)?
Great Job! Anything else you'd like to share?
When you are complete with notes, click "Save and Continue" link below. This will generate an email link so you can return tomorrow for Day 2!

Save and Continue Later

Day 2: Think & Thank
Welcome back! Yesterday we observed moments. Today we will do more than observe – we will appreciate.

With our journals in hand, find a place where you enjoy spending time on your campus. Ideally, this place will be easy for you to think in peace.

Is there a person who stands out as having helped you get into college? This may be a parent, a former teacher, a mentor, a friend. You may have more than one, but see if there is one person who comes to mind more than the others.

Give yourself 3 minutes to simply think about this person. What did they do to help you exactly? What was their reason for helping you? How does it feel to be the beneficiary of their help?

Now, write this person a thank you note. When you meet with your partner, read your notes to one another, sharing stories and details that came up for you. Again, notice any physical sensations you may have experienced during this exercise (heart rate, breathing, joy, empathy, forgiveness, etc.).

Consider mailing the thank you note!

In the space below, describe how you interpreted and carried out the exercise. Include as many details as you are able.
Successes
Did you perceive any difference in attitude or demeanor, or any positive way in which your group related to you or one another that struck you as related to this exercise? Were there any funny or endearing moments you'd like to share?
Challenges
Were there any difficulties with this exercise? Any disruptions, or other interferences? We'd love to hear what you struggled with, and your thoughts on any causes, and how you adjusted (or perhaps didn't)?
Nice work! Anything else you'd like to share?
When you are complete with notes, click "Save and Continue" link below. This will generate an email link so you can return tomorrow for Day 3!

Save and Continue Later

Day 3: Spontaneous Gratitude
Welcome to Day 3! Ok, you’ve observed, you’ve appreciated... now, we act!

See how many random acts of ANONYMOUS acts of kindness you can perform (leave a quarter in a parking meter, place a flower on a stranger’s desk, offer help, hold the door open, smile, give someone a compliment, etc). Make a note in your journal of everything you do.

Compare notes and stories with your partner. Was it fun? Did you notice if your perception of time seemed to speed up or slow down today? How was your mood? How did others seem to interact with you? Were they friendly?

In the space below, describe how you interpreted and carried out the exercise. Include as many details as you are able.
Successes
Did you perceive any difference in attitude or demeanor, or any positive way in which your group related to you or one another that struck you as related to this exercise? Were there any funny or endearing moments you'd like to share?
Challenges
Were there any difficulties with this exercise? Any disruptions, or other interferences? We'd love to hear what you struggled with, and your thoughts on any causes, and how you adjusted (or perhaps didn't)?
More than half way complete! Anything else you'd like to share?
When you are complete with notes, click "Save and Continue" link below. This will generate an email link so you can return tomorrow for Day 4!

Save and Continue Later

Day 4: Degrees of Gratitude
Wow! Only 2 days left! By now, you’ve observed, appreciated, acted spontaneously. Today, we slow things down to dive deeply into gratitude.

With your partner, with your journals in hand, find a place where you enjoy spending time on your campus. Ideally, this place will be easy for you to think in peace. Think about a favorite class you are particularly interested in, or your favorite extracurricular activity. Write down why you like this subject or activity so much. Be specific. What about it challenges you? What are some of the skills you are learning? What are some strengths you have acquired?

Share what you wrote with your partner. When it is your partner’s time to read, be sure to share when you agree with what they are saying.

Take a moment together to feel grateful for the lessons you have learned already, that are distinct and separate from the degree you may receive later. Today is about experiencing the process, rather than the result.

In the space below, describe how you interpreted and carried out the exercise. Include as many details as you are able.
Successes
Did you perceive any difference in attitude or demeanor, or any positive way in which your group related to you or one another that struck you as related to this exercise? Were there any funny or endearing moments you'd like to share?
Challenges
Were there any difficulties with this exercise? Any disruptions, or other interferences? We'd love to hear what you struggled with, and your thoughts on any causes, and how you adjusted (or perhaps didn't)?
Anything else you'd like to share?
When you are complete with notes, click "Save and Continue" link below. This will generate an email link so you can return tomorrow for Day 5!

Save and Continue Later

Day 5: Double the Gratitude
Welcome to Day 5! Congratulations! You have hopefully discovered and experienced gratitude throughout the week, as well as connected with your partner in a new and powerful way.

For this last and final day of the challenge, the two of you are going to double your impact! Select one person you would both like to thank together.

1. Writethatpersonajointthankyoucard,describingexactlywhyeachof you feels gratitude.
2. Contactthatpersontogether,andreadyourcardtothem(eachreadinga part so you both get a chance to read).

As you wrap up the challenge, be sure to say thank you to your partner for joining you this week and keeping his or her commitment.

Finally, look over your journal entries from each day. Thank your journal for documenting your observances, your appreciations, your random acts of kindness, and for reminding you to be grateful for the gift of learning – without concern for the outcome as much as the journey. Share with your partner, and then share with us in the space below!
Successes
Did you perceive any difference in attitude or demeanor, or any positive way in which your group related to you or one another that struck you as related to this exercise? Were there any funny or endearing moments you'd like to share?
Challenges
Were there any difficulties with this exercise? Any disruptions, or other interferences? We'd love to hear what you struggled with, and your thoughts on any causes, and how you adjusted (or perhaps didn't)?
Any final notes you'd like to share?
When you are complete with your answers, click "Submit" and accept your Certificate of Completion!

Save and Continue Later

Fun Gratitude Facts

faq
We have partnered with UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to provide you with these scientific facts. We have also recommended other Gratitude Revealed short films you might enjoy and learn from. Click on an item below to expand and reveal more.

GRATITUDE MAKES COLLEGE STUDENTS HAPPIER

A recent study found that gratitude contributes significantly to the happiness of undergraduate students. Previous research has found that teens between the ages of 14 and 19 who score high on measures of gratitude are more satisfied with their lives and less depressed.

Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: HAPPINESS VIDEO

THANKFUL STUDENTS ARE BETTER AT DEALING WITH SETBACKS

Grateful college students don’t let challenges or obstacles get in their way: A recent study has found that they see setbacks as opportunities for growth. Gratitude seems to be a way of encouraging commitment and persistence in students—important skills to have in the rigorous academic world of college. Grateful students also feel more socially connected to their school and community.

Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: CONNECTION VIDEO

GRATITUDE IS LINKED TO BETTER GRADES

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And when deprived of his happiness, his grades are liable to suffer, according to new research from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Several studies have found that more grateful students get higher grades. They’re also more engaged in their schoolwork (and hobbies) and are more focused on trying to improve their communities. Research suggests that all of these benefits aren’t only for the naturally grateful: Students can boost their gratitude over time, like by keeping a gratitude journal.

Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: FOCUS VIDEO

For more on the science of gratitude, visit the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

Save

Gratitude for Colleges & Universities

Watch Our Video

Receive Your “Gratitude Revealed” E-Book

Be the first to receive our collaborative Gratitude e-book, filled with Louie’s breath-taking photography & an inspired collection of your shared experiences from the challenges below (completed March 1, 2017).

Download DIY Gratitude Projects For College & University Students

Mystery Gratitude

Gratitude Twister

Mosaic of Thanks

Mosaic Template

Earn Your Certificate of Completion:

Take Our 5-Day Gratitude Challenge For Colleges & Universities

START HERE

Step 1 of 7

Fun Gratitude Facts

GRATITUDE MAKES COLLEGE STUDENTS HAPPIER

THANKFUL STUDENTS ARE BETTER AT DEALING WITH SETBACKS

GRATITUDE IS LINKED TO BETTER GRADES

For More Paths to Gratitude, You May Like to Watch: