The Many Benefits of Expressing and
Receiving Gratitude
November 26, 2015
Story at-a-glance
−
People who are thankful for what they have are
better able to cope with stress, are happier, and
better able to reach their goals
People who kept a gratitude journal reported
exercising more, and had fewer visits to the doctor
compared to those who focused on sources of
aggravation
Studies have linked gratitude to improved sleep,
reduced stress, enhanced well-being, improved heart
health, and reducing the likelihood of sudden death
in patients with heart disease
By Dr. Mercola
Science tells us that people who are thankful for what they
have are happier and reach their goals with greater ease, and
Thanksgiving is an American holiday that reminds us to take
stock of all the things we're grateful for.
As noted in a previous article on this topic published in the
Harvard Mental Health Letter:1
"Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an
individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With
gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives.
In the process, people usually recognize that the
source of that goodness lies at least partially outside
themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect
to something larger than themselves as individuals whether
to other people, nature, or a higher power."
Gratitude is also associated with improved health, both
physical and emotional. Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, head of
Biologic Psychology at Duke University Medical Centeronce stated that:2
"If [thankfulness] were a drug, it would be the
world's best-selling product with a health maintenance
indication for every major organ system."
Being Thankful for Your Health Every Day
While there are as many reasons to be thankful as there are
people in the world, one facet of life that many often forget to
be thankful for (until it is too late) is their health. We tend
to take our health for granted until we're suddenly in the
throes of pain or debilitating illness.
"What does it mean to be thankful for your health?...
At its most basic level it can be a 'There but by the grace
of God go I' feeling we get when someone we know dies of a
heart attack or gets cancer. The news jolts us into
awareness of our mortality, health being what keeps us on
the other side.
Being thankful for our health, however, means more
than gratitude for being alive itself.
On yet another level, it means appreciating the
capacities allowed by our health the cognitive ability to
practice our profession and remember our children's names,
the physical ability to walk up six flights of stairs when
the elevator is being serviced...
It's about confidence that we have the strength to
move most of our own stuff when need arises and take care of
our children, tend to our property, and still have energy to
enjoy something of everyday life..."
It goes back to the old adage that it's really the little
things that matter most, and if you cultivate gratitude for the
little things such as being able to lift an overstuffed turkey
out of the oven and remembering the names of all your friends
and relatives around the table it will foster a more
deep-seated sense of
happiness.
After all, a lot of misery is rooted in a perceived sense of
lack. But if you have good health and all your mental faculties
intact, you also have the prerequisite basics for doing
something about your situation.
Science and Practice of Gratitude
Four years ago, the Greater Good Science Center at the
University of California,4
in collaboration with the University of California, launched a
project called "Cultivating Gratitude in a Consumerist Society."
This $5.6 million project aims to:
Expand the scientific database of gratitude,
particularly in the key areas of human health, personal, and
relational well-being, and developmental science
Promote evidence-based practices of gratitude in
medical, educational, and organizational settings and in
schools, workplaces, homes, and communities, and in so
doing
Engage the public in a larger cultural conversation
about the role of gratitude in civil society.
The organization has a number of resources you can peruse at
your leisure, including The Science of Happiness blog and
newsletter,5
and a Digital Gratitude Journal,6
where you can record and share the things you're grateful for
year-round.
Gratitude Pays Many Health Dividends
Keeping a gratitude journal is a practice recommended by many
psychologists, and it can have far-reaching consequences. In one
study,7,8
people who kept a gratitude journal reported exercising more and
logged fewer doctor's visits compared to those who focused on
sources of aggravation. More specifically, gratitude has been
linked to:
Improved heart health,12
reducing the likelihood of sudden death in patients with
congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease
While such results may sound too good to be true, studies13
have shown that gratitude actually produces a number of
beneficial and measurable effects on several systems in
your body, including:
Cognitive and pleasure related neurotransmitters
(dopamine)
Blood sugar
The Benefits of Saying Grace
Many people, even those who normally do not say grace before
every meal, will join hands with their loved ones and count
their blessings before digging into their Thanksgiving dinner.
As previously noted in The Huffington Post,14
expressing gratitude before eating is an ancient and truly
universal practice. It's not restricted to any one group, race,
or religious affiliation:
"According to theologist Laurel Schneider,
historically... blessings were... an expression of gratitude
to various gods and a recognition that the food 'is not ours
to begin with, but loaned to us,' Schneider told
Spirituality & Health magazine...
'Food is a necessity for life, and centuries ago...
if you were starving and got something to eat, you were
mighty thankful,' [Adrian] Butash [author of Bless Your
Food: Ancient and Contemporary Graces from Around the World]
says. 'Today, we don't think about it that much, but when
you think of food as life and death, then you can see how
serious it became in the consciousness of the people.'"
Saying grace can be a great way to foster a closer and deeper
connection to the food you eat, allowing for a moment to reflect
on all the things that went into its creation, from the sowing
of the seed, to the harvest, and the cooking. Indeed a lot of
work, both by nature and man, went into creating the food before
you, which will now provide you with nourishment and sustenance.
A break anywhere along the food chain can easily render food
scarce, so there really is a lot to be thankful for when you
have a full plate of food in front of you. And, as noted in the
featured article,15
saying grace before eating is a way to flex your gratitude
muscle on a daily basis:
"Often, practicing gratitude isn't an activity that
we make time for. Sometimes it can even feel like a chore.
But by pairing a brief gratitude exercise with an activity
that we enjoy and make time for each day (like eating) can
help us to make gratitude a more regular part of our
lives... [leading] us to associate giving thanks with the
pleasure we derive from food."
Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude Year-Round
Your future health and happiness depends largely on the
thoughts you think today. So each moment of every day
is an opportunity to turn your thinking around, thereby helping
or hindering your ability to think and feel more positively in
the very next moment. Starting and/or ending each day by
thinking of something you're grateful for is one way to keep
your mind on the right track.
Most experts agree that there are no shortcuts to happiness.
Even generally
happy people do not experience joy 24 hours a day. But, a
happy person can have a bad day and still find pleasure in the
small things in life. So be thankful for what you have.
By focusing on what's good right now, in the present
moment, you become more open to receive greater abundance in the
future. Remember to say "thank you" to yourself, the Universe,
and others. And with that, I want to say THANK YOU to you, my
readers, for your continued support throughout the year, and I
wish you all a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!