ABSTRACT
Values are reader’s deepest desires for how they want to act during their journey through life. Values refer to actions, not beliefs or moral philosophies. Values are not the same as goals. Society can use rules to establish laws and ethical codes of conduct such as "stealing is wrong." But the values that underlie reader's personal goals and rules are the key to living a principled and meaningfully life in the midst of adversity. Values tend to provide a sense of freedom. Values are energizing because there are many ways to act on them. Gratitude has been found to help people moderate their fear-based reactions by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and moderating the reactions of the sympathetic nervous system. People who consider gratitude an important value rather than as something to practice on an occasional basis tend to be more optimistic, which is a characteristic that research shows boosts the immune system.
