Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, explores a range of fascinating subjects in her new book. Gino's new book also highlights the science of gratitude.

In two of the gratitude experiments, Gino worked with Professor Adam Grant of the Wharton School. They first asked 57 students to give feedback to a fictitious (虚构的) student, Eric, regarding his cover letter for a job. Half were emailed a brief confirmation without gratitude. The other half received gratitude: "I received your feedback on my cover letter. I am really grateful."

When Gino and Grant measured the students' sense of self-worth afterwards, 25 percent of the group that received just an acknowledgement felt higher level of self-worth, compared with 55 percent of the group that received thanks.

In a follow-up experiment, participants received a message from another fictitious student Steven, asking for feedback on his cover letter. Would participants who had received thanks from Eric be more likely to help Steven? Indeed, more than half of the students in the gratitude group (66 percent) helped Steven, compared with just 32 percent of those in the no-gratitude group.

"Receiving expression of gratitude makes us feel a heightened (增强的) sense of self-worth," Gino said.

Gino built on the research in a field study that looked at 41 fundraisers (募捐人) at a university, all receiving a fixed salary. The director visited half of the fundraisers in person, telling them, "I am very grateful for your hard work." The second group received no such expression of gratitude. Gino said that "the expression of gratitude increased the number of calls made by that group of fundraisers by more than 50 percent" for the week, while fundraisers who received no thanks made about the same number of calls as the previous week.

By missing chances to express gratitude, organizations and leaders lose relatively cost-free opportunities to motivate their employees, Gino said.

"The work behind my book really makes me think more carefully every time I am the one expressing gratitude to others. I don't want to miss opportunities. I have learned from my own research and now try to say ‘thank you' much more often", Gino added.

It was 6 a.m. as I got on the train, ending my work one cold morning and I was lucky to get a seat. At that time of the morning, my eyes were not fully focused and at times I was half asleep. During that time the train was usually filled with construction workers heading out to start their work. On that particular morning I found myself drawn on the shoes of men sitting about 10 seats across from me.

I sat examining the shoes of men. Men from different walks of life, holding different jobs, thinking different thoughts, living different lives and despite what they did and how they looked, they all had something in common. They were all of the working class trying to achieve their dreams.

One day each of those men has to visit a shoe store to buy a new pair of shoes, a type that fits their working needs. For a short time those shoes look so good. Then one day they lose their shine; they no longer look as good, but guess what? The shoes feel right. Feet have found their own home within the comfort of those shoes.

If those shoes could talk, what kind of a tale do you think they would tell? If your shoes could talk, what do you think they would say about you? Would the story be about a journey filled with joy and fun? Or would the story be one filled with disappointment and regret?

We choose the shoes. Where we take them and when and how we wear them are up to us.

Amy Jandrisevits knows the value of a good doll. "Dolls have a power we don't completely understand," she told The Today Show. It's a conclusion she came to while working as a pediatric oncology(儿科肿瘤学) social worker using dolls to help her young clients adapt to their changing medical situations. Many of the kids saw themselves in those dolls. But for the kids missing a limb or who had lost their hair, there were none they could relate to.

So, seven years ago, when a friend revealed that her child was suffering from appearance anxiety caused by a rare disease, Jandrisevits, now 49, knew what might help the youth through this potentially challenging period. "It's hard to tell a kid, 'You are perfect the way you are', and to build self-esteem that way, but never offer them anything that looks like them," she says.

Jandrisevits went about changing that. She crafted a doll by hand-using fabric, stitching, and markers—that resembled her friend's child and sent it off. After the friend posted a photo online of the happy child and doll, another woman asked Jandrisevits to make a doll that looked like her baby, who was missing a leg.

Word spread, and soon Jandrisevits was making dolls for children with scars, birthmarks, facial deformities(畸形), tracheotomies—in short, a doll that looked like them. She quit her job and started a nonprofit, A Doll Like Me.

Working out of her home in Milwaukee, from photos sent by parents or caregivers, it takes Jandrisevits roughly seven hours to craft each doll. A GoFundMe page helps her offset costs and allows her to donate her services. She hasn't charged for a doll since she began her nonprofit.

In all, she's made more than 400 dolls. The waiting list is long, but Jandrisevits is unbowed. As she explains on her GoFundMe page, "Every kid, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, medical issue, or body type, should look into the sweet face of a doll and see their own."