I Asked 75 People What They Felt Gratitude For in 2020

Here’s what they said — and what I learned from it

Caitlin Kunkel
10 min readNov 20, 2020

What can we salvage from this year?

2020. A garbage fire. A nightmare. The worst year of many of our lives. A contentious (to say the least) election, a raging worldwide pandemic, lockdowns, unexpected home schooling, social distancing, and spending time away from friends and family.

It’s so bad… I’m almost sorry to see it go.

Now, what in the hell could we be grateful for about THIS year?

Well, when I asked 75 people that exact question, they were quick to answer with a variety of things — from the witty to the practical to the sincere.

It turns out that even amongst the smoking downed aircraft that is 2020, we’re hardwired to search for the things we’re grateful for.

And that benefits us, because gratitude is a powerful emotion. Science-backed research has shown that the simple act of saying “thank you,” can inspire lasting feelings of joy and confidence, both for the giver and receiver. Beyond writing in our gratitude journals, studies have shown that giving gratitude to others is one of the best things…

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Caitlin Kunkel
Caitlin Kunkel

Written by Caitlin Kunkel

Satirist + pizza scientist. Co-founder of The Belladonna. Sign up for my newsletter, Input/Ouput: https://inputandoutput.substack.com/