Emotional Success

A string of bestsellers has alerted us to the link between greatness and grit: The ability to persevere and control one's impulses. But no book yet has revealed the most accessible and powerful path to grit: our three prosocial emotions. These feelings, gratitude, compassion, and pride, rather than the traditionally mentioned willpower and self-denial, are the most practical and successful stepping stones. While willpower is depleted all too fast, prosocial emotions become stronger with use. These emotions are also contagious. People around us become more likely to apply them when we do.