There is something remarkable about this time of year. Beyond the food, football, or even time with family, as we gather together and vocally express thanks for the blessings in our lives, it seems to bring a great sense of happiness, peace, and contentment. As I sat down to write this post and figure out what makes being grateful…well, so great…I was pleased (and even a little surprised) to find that this is much more than some abstract or ethereal concept; it has been backed by science! A number of recent studies in what has been termed “positive psychology” have linked gratitude to incredible physical, emotional, social, and psychological benefits. The key to gaining these benefits, though, is to make gratitude a regular practice. While it’s great to spend a day focusing on our blessings, if we make a habit of regularly recognizing our blessings and demonstrating sincere gratitude for them, we can seriously improve our quality of life.
Following is a list of what I found to be some of the most
intriguing benefits of gratitude and a few ingredients for incorporating gratitude
into our everyday “diet” to realize them, even after the leftover turkey and
pie are long gone.
Benefit 1: Gratitude
makes you happy
Happiness is one of the most basic human desires; and in
our search for happiness, religious leaders have long extolled the value of
being grateful. Well, now science is beginning to catch up. Recent research
examining happiness as an outcome is consistently finding that being grateful
and expressing gratitude increases happiness. In one study, subjects who wrote
and delivered a letter of gratitude to someone who they had never properly
thanked were shown to have higher levels of happiness and lower depressive
symptoms for an entire month following the activity.[i] In
a similar study, individuals assigned to write an essay, write a letter of
gratitude, or even think about
someone to whom they were grateful demonstrated better moods, greater
happiness, and superior subjective
well being.[ii]
Finally, a study comparing subjects assigned the weekly task of recording
blessings to those recording burdens found that individuals in the “grateful
condition” displayed higher levels of optimism and well being.[iii] So
what does this mean for you? If you want more happiness in life, give gratitude
a try. My personal recommendation:
Happiness is one of the most basic human desires; and in
our search for happiness, religious leaders have long extolled the value of
being grateful. Well, now science is beginning to catch up. Recent research
examining happiness as an outcome is consistently finding that being grateful
and expressing gratitude increases happiness. In one study, subjects who wrote
and delivered a letter of gratitude to someone who they had never properly
thanked were shown to have higher levels of happiness and lower depressive
symptoms for an entire month following the activity.[i] In
a similar study, individuals assigned to write an essay, write a letter of
gratitude, or even think about
someone to whom they were grateful demonstrated better moods, greater
happiness, and superior subjective
well being.[ii]
Finally, a study comparing subjects assigned the weekly task of recording
blessings to those recording burdens found that individuals in the “grateful
condition” displayed higher levels of optimism and well being.[iii] So
what does this mean for you? If you want more happiness in life, give gratitude
a try. My personal recommendation:
Ingredient 1: Keep a daily or weekly gratitude journal to regularly
record your blessings.
Benefit 2: Gratitude helps you sleep
Research suggests that being grateful is associated with a number of health benefits, including a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, and even longevity. But for me, an insomniac, probably the most attractive health benefit is its effect on sleep. For example, in one study, researchers found that gratitude was associated with “greater subjective sleep quality and sleep duration, and less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction”[iv]. How does this work? According to the study, “pre-sleep cognitions” (i.e., the things we think about as we drift off to sleep) significantly affect our sleep. While thinking about our “to do’s” or other stresses in life increases the level of stress in the body, thinking about our blessings triggers the relaxation response, which helps us fall asleep faster and stay that way. The recommendation:
Ingredient #2: Bing Crosby probably put it best: "If you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep”.
Benefit 3: Gratitude strengthens marriages
Ingredient #3: Make a conscious effort to regularly recognize and
express gratitude to your spouse for all he or she does for you.
Altogether, gratitude is a key to a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life. And since it may be less natural to focus on gratitude once Thanksgiving is past, I hope we will all seriously consider mixing up these ingredients (and maybe even supplement with others) to cook up a better life, now and in the future!
[i] Seligman, Martin EP, et al. "Positive psychology
progress: empirical validation of interventions." American psychologist
60.5 (2005): 410.
[ii] Watkins, Philip C., et al. "Gratitude and happiness:
Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective
well-being." Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal
31.5 (2003): 431-451.
[iii] Emmons, Robert A., and Michael E. McCullough. "Counting
blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and
subjective well-being in daily life." Journal of personality and social
psychology 84.2 (2003): 377.
[iv] Wood, Alex M., et al. "Gratitude influences sleep
through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions." Journal of
psychosomatic research 66.1 (2009): 43-48.
[v] Gottman, John Mordechai. What predicts divorce?: The
relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Psychology
Press, 2014.
[vi] The Gottman
Institute. Research FAQs. http://www.gottman.com/research/research-faqs/
Additional Articles & Resources:
2 - Boost Your Health With a Dose of Gratitude: http://www.webmd.com/women/features/gratitute-health-boost
3 - 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits Of Gratitude That Will Motivate You To Give Thanks Year-Round: http://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/
4 - 20 Mind-Blowing Facts About Gratitude: https://www.yahoo.com/health/20-mind-blowing-facts-about-gratitude-103220471667.html
5 - The 31 Benefits of Gratitude You Didn’t Know About: How Gratitude Can Change Your Life: http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/
6 - Grateful in Any Circumstances: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng
Joseph Harrison is a proud new father and the husband of an incredible and accomplished wife. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration and worked for several years in management consulting before coming to Texas A&M, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in strategic management. He also has experience working with youth as a tutor and personal mentor. His passions include his family, serving others, teaching, and college football.
