Gratitude Resources: Videos

So many videos on Gratitude! The videos in each category are roughly in order of our rating.
If you’re looking for more video inspiration, there is a collection of our very favorite videos on life and well-being on the Top Videos page.

More TED Talks…

• My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee | A.J. Jacobs – Author and NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs set out to say thank you to everyone responsible for his daily cup of coffee — turns out there were hundreds of people to thank. He made the realization that he takes basic things in his life for granted — like water — and spurred him to have a more grateful outlook on life.
• 365 Days of Thank You – After a near death experience, Brian Doyle realized he takes the relationships in his life for granted. For 365 days he called or met with a person to thank them for the role they had in his life.
• Attitude to Gratitude – Dr. Joyoki explains her life story and how she became a doctor. Having an attitude of gratitude eventually helped her find purpose and meaning in life and led her to be a better person and have a more fulfilling career.
• Expressing Appreciation – Appreciation is one of the most desired psychological variables in work and in everyday life
• How gratitude accidentally connected a community – The owner of a small printing business decided to give away free thank you notes to inspire his community to say thank you.
• Remember to Say Thank You – Dr. Laura Trice muses on the power of the magic words “thank you” — to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, to make sure another person knows what they mean to you.
• How Gratitude & Reflection Saved My Life – After a near death experience, David recovered but had a life altering brain injury, was depressed, and had to give up his dream job. A mental health professional suggested he start a gratitude journal, which may have saved his life.
• How Gratitude Transformed My Life Into a Tale of Wonder – Kathryn shares her story and the fulfillment she experienced when writing fifty letters of gratitude to her “characters,” people (and animals) that impacted her life.
• Giving Unexpected Gratitude to Those Who Need It Most – Ryan Duffy tells a story of gratitude that tugs on heartstrings and resonates with everyone. Dr. Duffy shows us why showing gratitude to those that deserve it least need it most help.
• Moral behavior in animals – Frans de Waal explains that like primates, humans have potential for being nasty and aggressive, but we also have enormous potential for peace and peaceful relationships and empathy.
• The lies our culture tells us about what matters — and a better way to live – Author David Brooks lays out his vision for a cultural revolution that empowers us all to lead lives of greater meaning, purpose and joy.

More from Greater Good…

• Four Myths about Being Grateful at Work – Researcher Amie Gordon shares four common objections surrounding gratitude in the workplace: It’s too forced, It’s fake, It’s fluffy, and It undermines authority. She then goes on to debunk these myths.
• How Does Gratitude Affect Health and Aging? – At the 2014 Greater Good Gratitude Summit, Dr. Wendy Mendes of the University of California, San Francisco, discusses her research, “Effects of Measured and Manipulated Gratitude on Biomarkers of Health and Aging.”
• How to Talk with Kids about Gratitude – GGSC created a playful animation to highlight the gratitude tool of Notice, Think, Feel, Do.
• Rick Hanson: Taking in the Good – The best-selling author of Buddha’s Brain explains how we can boost our positive emotions and positive experiences.
• Robert Emmons: Challenges to Gratitude – Emmons talks about the challenges to gratitude. These mainly relate to stress and how to combat it.
• Robert Emmons: What Good Is Gratitude? – Emmons explains some of his gratitude research, specifically the effect on our social and emotional well-being.
• Robert Emmons: The Power of Gratitude – Gratitude has the power to heal, energize, and to change lives.
• What Teens Are Thankful For – Greater Good Science Center ran its own gratitude letter experiment with teens and recorded the experience.
• A Teacher Reflects on Teaching Gratitude – Educator Stephen Leeper shares what he learned from gratitude journaling with his students.
• Christine Carter: Why Gratitude Works – Parenting expert Christine Carter explains why gratitude actually provides a significant boost to our happiness and life satisfaction.
• The Trouble with the Science of Gratitude – Alex Wood of the University of Stirling provides a skeptical voice at the Greater Good Gratitude Summit, exploring the scientific obstacles to understanding gratitude.
• Three Research-Backed Tips for a Grateful Workplace – Business professor Ryan Fehr shares three rules for creating a culture of gratitude at work. Build a gratitude habit — create a ritual of thank you in the workplace. Draw from many sources — use resources like benefits, seminars, and volunteer opportunities to offer other modes of gratitude. Guard against negative emotions — gratitude at work can backfire and cause emotions like envy and jealousy, so he suggests getting ahead of these emotions.

If you’re looking for inspiration of all kinds on life, well-being, and the big questions, go check out the “Mood” pages of the site:

Real Life Stories of Gratitude and Grateful Living

• 365 Grateful – Hailey Bartholomew (TED talk above!) created a website to share more about her gratitude journey. Collecting stories from others, the stories section of the site features inspiring films about celebrating life and learning a little gratitude.
• Short: Gratitude Grows – An artist decides to paint 100 paintings for 100 people she is grateful for.
• Gratitude 2021 | Wild in Art – Wild in art installs gratitude statues across the UK to express gratitude to key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Explore more: This Is Gratitude Art Trail *Including: real-life stories from people across the UK thanking key workers.
• Hack Your Happiness: How learning gratitude is changing an Illinois middle school – Good Morning America reports on a school in Illinois with a year-round happiness curriculum — with one of the key elements being gratitude.
• Students Discover the Power of Gratitude on a Community | Class Act – SoulPancake highlights a school in California that is using gratitude to transform the way students see school and how they interact with each other and the community.
• Maine hiker thankful for first responders after near-death experience – “Just thank the people who help you. I mean, they don’t have to. This is the life that they choose — to help people, to rescue people. They deserve recognition for this, they really do.”
• Thank You, Healthcare Workers (I run for you) – A man starts a running routine in honor of the healthcare workers who saved his life when he was 300lbs and on a vent with COVID-19.

Short Films

• Gratitude: The Short Film by Louie Schwartzberg – Narrated by words from Brother David Steindl-Rast, this beautiful film reminds us to be grateful for the gift that is today.
• Motivational Videos – My Shoes – Lesson of this video, be always thankful on what blessings you have and work hard if you want to achieve something.

Motivational and Heartfelt

• Teacher Appreciation Week 2021 – Microsoft created this video to bring together 6 young poets from across the globe to help say thank you to teachers everywhere.
• First world problems read by third world kids – This fundraising campaign reminds us to have perspective when we talk about our problems.
• College – A college-bound girl says a heartfelt goodbye and thanks to her dad
• P&G ‘Thank You, Mom’ – Using examples of Olympic athletes looking back at the support they received from their moms, P&G highlights: “It takes someone strong to make someone strong.”
• Spoken Word of Thanks – An inspiring spoken word poem that reminds us to give Thanks for the good days AND give thanks for the hard days.
• 4 Thoughts About Gratitude That Could Change your Life – Dr. Maya Angelou, Tony Robbins, Shawn Achor and Anne Lamott explain why feeling gratitude for the small things in life is spiritually and mentally nourishing.

For Kids

• Count Your Blessings – A Berenstain Bears Episode about gratitude
• DID I EVER TELL YOU HOW LUCKY YOU ARE? by Dr. Seuss – Read along with this classic book about counting your blessings.
• Long Story Shortz – My Gratitude Jar – Written and Narrated by Kristin Wiens – Read along with this story of a gratitude jar.

Grateful Famous People

• Oprah Talks about the Gratitude Journals – Oprah has kept a gratitude journal for over 16 years now, and she claims it is the single most important thing she has ever done. “What I know for sure is that no matter what is going on in your life, I believe if you concentrate on what you have, you’ll always end up having more…. If you focus on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.”
• Ellen’s Tribute to the Obamas – Ellen DeGeneres says ‘thank you’ to President Obama by creating a tribute video of his time in office.

Funny