Sept. 21 is World Gratitude Day, a day dedicated to showing thanks and appreciation to the many different people in your life. While many people appreciate receiving gratitude, what they may not know is that expressing gratitude actually makes them feel better, too. Steven Toepfer, Ph.D., associate professor and the coordinator for the Human Development and Family Science bachelor degree program at Kent State University, has conducted research on how showing gratitude affects three aspects of well-being.   Happiness, life satisfaction and depression were all measured in the...

For Kent State University undergraduate students who don’t know where to start, research can be an exciting, but overwhelming experience. This doesn’t have to be the case, though.  On Sept. 13, Kent State's Division of Research and Economic Development hosted a research and innovation forum for its Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, an eight-week research program that takes place during summer break. During the program, undergraduate students work directly with a faculty mentor to enhance their research skills, gain academic insight into their field of study as we...