Who would have thought a simple action such as expressing your gratitude could have such a profound effect on the level of happiness in our lives?

In a social experiment, scientists discovered that expressing your gratitude will increase your personal happiness by as much as 15 percent.

Volunteers were asked to think about someone who had influenced them the most, and asked them to write as much about them as possible.  The volunteers were then asked to call them, and read to their most influential people what they had written.

For those that managed to personally express their gratitude over the phone, their happiness increased by 15 per cent.  Volunteers who were least happy prior to the experiment and managed to express their gratitude over the phone, experienced the biggest improvement in happiness.

So, if you’re experiencing a particularly bad time, expressing your gratitude will make you feel better.  Have you expressed your gratitude to someone you love and cherish today?

Watch the full experiment here: