Survey Says Gratitude Trumps Fear

A new nationwide survey asks adults what lessons they learned from elders who have been through economic challenges before. The top response was gratitude; elders say that simply being thankful can calm economic anxiety. Other key lessons included perseverance, importance of family and friends, humor and optimism. What to avoid? elders surveyed said don’t listen to the fears of others

The survey “Lessons in Coping with Economic Anxiety – A Gift from Our Elders” was concluded in January and was sponsored by Boulder, Colorado-based Walker Wonder, http://www.walkerwonder.com/, maker of patent-pending decorative accessories for mobility walkers and rollators, in conjunction with the company’s participation in the national conference Aging in America 2009. Participants in the survey were 153 adult men and women living in 28 states across the US and ranging in age from 19-79. According to company spokesperson Kathleen Kneeland, a central question asked of respondents was, “What have you been taught by your grandparents, parents, or older friends about how to cope with your fears during hard economic times?”

Kneeland added, “The most frequently mentioned teaching was gratitude. Seventy-nine percent of survey participants said that their elders had emphasized the basic act of appreciation for one’s current blessings as a way of calming economic fears.” Two-thirds of those said it especially applied to appreciating the simple things in life. Said a woman from New York in her survey response, “My mother went through the Depression. My grandmother had to work at menial jobs to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. But I never heard her complain about those days … Simple things, but they were grateful for them.”

(photo credit: Newscom)