Instead of expressing thankfulness only on Thanksgiving Day, why not cultivate an attitude of gratitude with you all year long? Research shows that gratitude gives us numerous benefits for health and healing. Here are just a few of the findings we have found:
Gratitude Improves Your Health
Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains than other people. They also say they feel better. They tend to exercise more often, eat more healthy food, and are more likely to take care of their health and get regular checkups.
Gratitude Gives You More Will-Power
“Gratitude replenishes willpower,” says Susan Peirce Thompson, a cognitive scientist who specializes in the psychology of eating. The concept is similar to the Northeastern research that found a connection between gratitude and patience: Thompson says cultivating feelings of gratitude can boost your impulse control, helping you slow down and make better decisions. If you find yourself taking slice after slice of pumpkin pie, for example, Thompson recommends excusing yourself from the table to jot down a quick list of things you’re grateful for, which can help you clear your mind and reset.
Gratitude Helps You Sleep Better
“Count blessings, not sheep,” says Emma Seppälä, researcher at Yale and Harvard University. Research in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research has found that feeling grateful helps people sleep better and longer. That’s likely because “you have more positive thoughts before you go to sleep,” says Seppälä, which may soothe the nervous system. If you’re going to make a daily gratitude list, Seppälä recommends writing it before bed. It can improve the quality and amount of sleep you get at night.
Gratitude Builds Stronger Relationships
According to a study in the Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology, feeling grateful toward your partner — and vice versa — can improve numerous aspects of your relationship, including feelings of connectedness and overall satisfaction as a couple. “Having a partner that’s grateful for you or you being grateful for the other” can both help your love life, says Emma Seppälä. Another study found that when you express thankfulness to a new acquaintance, it makes them more likely to seek a deeper relationship with you.
Gratitude Strengthens Your Spirit
When you’re feeling grateful it reduces stress, increases resilience, and helps you overcome trauma. It also makes you feel more empathy and less aggression when dealing with others. It has also helped people recover from depression. Experiments have shown that people who partake in “Three Good Things” exercise — which, as the name suggests, prompts people to think of three good moments or things that happened that day — see considerable improvements in depression and overall happiness, sometimes in as little as a couple of weeks. According to Susan Thompson, “If there were a drug that did that, whoever patented that drug would be rich, Gratitude is very powerful.”
Gratitude Can Give You Lasting Happiness
Many things can give you bursts of happiness–even a spoonful of your favorite dessert. But that can go away quickly, making you crave for more. Gratitude, on the other hand, gives you sustainable happiness because it’s not based on instant gratification. It’s an attitude or frame of mind that’s part of you every single day. The more you take time to express thankfulness and gratitude, the more lasting joy you will see in your life.
HOW TO DO IT
- Use a Journal: Every day, morning or evening, make a list of 2-3 new things you are grateful for. Many people who thank God for these blessings have found it gives them more peace in their lives. It also helps you recover from depression.
- Use a Thanksgiving Jar: This could be a family project. Through the year, members of the family will write 1 thing they are grateful for on a small slip of paper. They would either do it daily, weekly, or at least several times through the week. Whatever method you choose, it should be frequent. Then at the end of the year, take turns reading the things your family has been thankful for.
- Gratitude Circle: Go round the circle, as a family–choosing a special night–where everyone shares blessings from the week. Everyone has to come up with at least one thing, but you might find that you have multiple things that you’re thankful for.
- Gratitude Challenge: Don’t complain for 24 hours. Every time, you feel irritated or frustrated, think of something you are grateful for. And for an even greater challenge, try this for a whole week. You may find you’ll have the best week of your life!
- Face to Face: Skip the email or the Facebook text. Make it a habit to thank a friend, family member, or coworker in person. Words have a powerful impact–both for you and the person you’re thanking. It’s a win-win situation that will make your day brighter.
