GRATITUDE

David Desteno

CV: David studied at Yale and has been a professor at Northeastern University in the US since 1999, where he directs a team of researchers focused on how emotions guide decision-making. His latest book is Emotional Success: The Motivational Power Of Gratitude, Compassion And Pride (Bluebird).

DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH. My work focuses on examining how emotions can guide decisions that benefit individual and community success. Emotions evolved to help people solve problems – they’re mental shortcuts – so they should help with a basic problem we all face: how to persevere towards our future goals.

WHAT’S YOUR USP? Using prosocial emotions, like gratitude, to make us value the future more, not only offers a stronger route to success, but builds personal relationships along the way.

ARE WE MORE LIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFUL IF WE TAKE AN EMOTIONAL APPROACH? When people ask, ‘Should I be hard-edged or a nice guy to get ahead?’ I say ‘What’s your time frame?’ In the short term, you can succeed via power plays. But in the long-run, people who cultivate gratitude win. They build relationships that help them reach their goals.

DAVID’S ADVICE: Cultivate your emotions regularly. For gratitude, make a habit of counting your blessings, both big and small. For compassion, practice mindfulness and put yourself in others’ shoes. Pride is about celebrating small wins. Use these techniques every day; you’ll find your connections with others will grow.