The secret to maximum happiness may be expressing gratitude, a new poll suggests.

The random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans looked at the potential connection between gratitude and happiness — revealing that 65% of respondents who report that they're "very happy" on a daily basis were more likely to "always" give thanks.

While looking at the correlation between life satisfaction and gratitude, one-third of respondents said they "always" express gratitude in their everyday lives. Of those, 62% noted they were "very satisfied" with their lives.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Motivosity, the survey also found that, on average, respondents believe they express gratitude to others about six times a month – and they receive the same amount of appreciation back.

Regionally, residents in the southwest (75%), northeast (74%) and midwest (73%) were more likely to express gratitude than others surveyed in the county—followed by the southeast (68%) and west coast residents (63%).

"There's a dramatic correlation between gratitude and happiness," said Logan Mallory, vice president of marketing at Motivosity. "When people are proactive about being grateful, it rewires their brain to look for positives instead of the negatives around them.

"Previous studies and these survey results tell us that if you want to experience an increase in life satisfaction, just express gratitude more often!"

Respondents say they receive the most gratitude from their spouses or partners (28%), family members (26%), and friends (24%) – with bosses (17%) and co-workers (15%) trailing further down the list.

With bosses and co-workers low on the list to show gratitude, perhaps it's not surprising that only 18% of employed respondents feel appreciated at work.

Even those who are "very satisfied" with their lives feel twice more recognition at home than at their jobs (46% vs. 24%).

"Public acknowledgment has a massive impact on making people genuinely feel that their day-to-day efforts make a difference because feeling appreciated improves life quality."

A UC Berkeley study showed that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits, including:

• Higher levels of positive emotions • More joy and pleasure • More optimism and happiness • Being more helpful, generous, compassionate, and forgiving • Feeling less lonely and isolated.