Gratitude
Think Gratitude, Not Attitude
As we say goodbye to the fall leaves that will soon be replaced with bare branches and enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie, many of us have thankfulness on our minds. Fun fact: research from multiple universities have found that practicing gratitude has positive impacts on both our physical and mental health! So, how do we reap these benefits?
Your Body Will Thank You
For her book, “Alternative and Complementary Therapies”, Jane Hart, MD sat down with Robert Emmons, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis to discuss his research on how gratitude affects health. His research revealed that gratitude improves practically every aspect of health – immune function, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart function, sleep, and more all improve when one has a consistent gratitude practice. Emmons also notes that expressing thankfulness decreases the risk of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder.
It doesn’t end there! A correlation between gratitude and behavior exists too. When we practice gratitude, it increases the likelihood that we will engage in healthy activities and behaviors. Giving thanks makes us more likely to make nutritious food choices, exercise, and consistently take prescribed medications. In Dr. Emmon’s words, “the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life” (Hart, 323).
Your Appreciation Benefits Others
We’ve established that being grateful benefits the person practicing gratitude, but thankfulness can benefit others as well. Do any of you remember being forced to write thank you cards after your birthday party or once the holidays were over? My guess is that you rolled your eyes and mumbled something about no one caring about thank-you cards. As an adult, I can say that this is somewhat accurate for me. I am not bothered when I don’t receive a handwritten thank you. However, it feels really nice when I do receive one, so I guess my mom wasn’t entirely wrong.
Getting recognized and knowing you’re appreciated feels nice. The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania had researchers study the effect of receiving thanks on employees. After evaluating two groups (one that received recognition and appreciation from their employer, and on that did not), researchers found that the group that received appreciation had a 50% increase in productivity (Harvard Health Publishing).
How to Practice
We already covered one way to give thanks – a good, old-fashion thank-you note. But there are a ton of other ways to practice being thankful. You can also keep a journal dedicated to gratitude, where you write a couple of things you are grateful for each day. You can also thank someone mentally or pray if it reflects your religious/spiritual beliefs. Meditation is another great practice; as you sit with your thoughts, your mind may wander to find the big and small things you’re thankful for. Your gratitude practice can be sweet and simple, or it can even be fun and artsy! PositivePsychology has wonderful suggestions on how to make thankfulness fun and unique. Whatever works for you is perfect.
I hope you’ll consider incorporating a gratitude practice to benefit yourself and those around you. With that, thank you for reading our blog post today!