Do You Trust Yourself and the Universe? The Harmony Triad of Gratitude, Love, and Hope
A Gathering of Gratitude, Love, and Hope
In March, I was honored to be the keynote speaker on Hope and Community for the World Happiness Summit in 2025. The summit included many of the top researchers and practitioners of our time. It was an opportunity to discuss new research recently published with my daughter, Devon Fetrow Tomasulo. We studied fostering inner peace and a more harmonious world through the emotional character strengths of gratitude, love, and hope.
The cultivation of peaceful individuals and societies seems particularly important now. However, a clear path toward inner and outer peace has rarely been a scientific focus. In addition to trying to prevent or reduce violence, the study of positive peace asks what we can do to facilitate and create a more harmonious world. We took up that challenge by studying the VIA strengths of character exhibited by 16,700 individuals worldwide who rated themselves as often having feelings of inner peace. We then correlated this to the degree to which they trust themselves and the universe.
Character Traits of High-Hope People
Hope is not merely wishful thinking; it's a beacon guiding us toward action and positive transformation. A mindset rooted in hope, a force that propels you to seek out the resources needed to influence the future, is also a catalyst to realize harmony and fuel a journey toward peace.
When writing my book Learned Hopefulness: The Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression, I studied the thinking habits of high-hope people. In general, high-hope people live longer, happier, more fulfilling lives. But in the current study, we also learned that people with high scores on the character strength of hope trust themselves and the universe. These sorts of people also have a greater degree of inner peace than those who lack this trust.
Hope ignites a sense of self-worth and equips individuals with the resilience to conquer life's trials. Yet, we also suspected that hope is not alone in this capacity.
Embracing Gratitude is a beginning of a Harmonious Existence
Gratitude, a cornerstone of peace, nurtures joy, relationships, and a focus on life's brighter facets. Gratitude can be your shield against the shadows of violence, fostering mental well-being and a spirit of altruism.
People who know how to appreciate the good things they have in life and acknowledge it can transform their inner world from one of chaos to positive order.
But what is fascinating about gratitude is that it allows you to harvest positivity from past experiences. People who know how to appreciate the good things they have in life and acknowledge it can transform their inner world from one of chaos to positive order. They replace the perception of negativity with knowing that good things are present. In other words, gratitude prepares us to be more thankful for our circumstances in the moment we have. Gratitude influences our here and now.
Embracing Love as the Heartbeat of Peace
Love, the lifeblood of a peaceful society, calls for our nurturing and promotion. Love drives your actions toward aiding others through acts of kindness, transcending barriers to forge unity among diverse individuals and communities. Love is about extension and a feeling that facilitates this capacity for extension.
Indeed, every moment becomes an opportunity for transformation and extension with a feeling of love. What the research shows is that the people who experience a great deal of inner peace move through life with a sense of trusting themselves and their world. We believe this is because they have an elevated ability to harvest positive emotions from the past through gratitude, are present in the world with a loving-kindness awareness, and lean into the future with a hopeful mindset. A better world and inner peace happens when we are grateful for what we have, express our love and kindness to others, and believe we can positively influence the future.
The Harmony Triad: Elevating Character Strengths for Mental Wellness and Harmony
Combining the elements of gratitude, love and hope are what we call the harmony triad. We can diminish violence and enhance individual well-being by nurturing these three emotional character strengths. Discovering resilience, coping mechanisms, and improved mental health through gratitude, love, and hope pave the way for lasting peace. Engaging actively with these character strengths and virtues helps to conquer anxiety and depression while fostering a world free from violence.
Unlocking the Power of Character Strengths for Peace
From other research, we’ve learned that you do not need to be born with this harmony triad. Rather it can be cultivated and enhanced. There are easy ways to unleash the transformative potential of character strengths—hope, gratitude, and love—in fostering inner and outer peace. These virtues not only shape individual behavior but also weave a fabric of peace at the societal level. The research speaks volumes, affirming that character strengths breed a culture of peace ripe for cultivation and growth.
Three Practices to Cultivate Inner Peace
If you are looking for easy ways to cultivate inner peace, three simple practices can help you get started. First, begin a gratitude practice of reviewing the last 24 hours searching for three things you have gratitude for. Take a moment to write them down, and as you do, savor the feeling of gratitude for the experience.
Secondly, imagine a person you love dearly and who loves you standing or sitting right in front of you. Take a moment to imagine hugging them and feeling the power of the embrace, connectivity, and reciprocal love. Feel the connection in your heart and bring that feeling of love into the present moment.
Finally, hold on to the sense of gratitude for what has already happened, the love you feel in the moment, and as you do, think about three things you need to get done today. Imagine having these feelings as you accomplish these goals.
These three simple practices harvest the positivity from the past through gratitude, activate a loving-kindness feeling in the here and now, and allow us to believe we can have a positive influence on the future. This will not only bring you more inner peace and well-being in your life, but help to imagine a more peaceful world.
References
Tomasulo, D., Tomasulo, D.F. (2024). Hope, Gratitude, and Love for Peace. In: Niemiec, R.M. (eds) Peace Psychology and Character Strengths. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66928-6_14
