You probably associate gratitude with the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition in many US households to go around the table and tell everyone what you are grateful for either before or after the big meal. While it’s nice to uphold tradition, being grateful more often has been shown to improve sleep, lessen depression, lower inflammation levels, promote social ties, and improve self-esteem; to name a few. So how is it that something so simple as gratitude can improve our physical and psychological health? Let’s dive into some details and studies that have been conducted to explain.
Gratitude can be defined as thankfulness or appreciation of something in life outside yourself either tangible or intangible. We can humble ourselves and share common humanity by realizing that we cannot do it all ourselves. There are two psychologists that have done most of the scientific research available on gratitude. Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough. They found that after 10 weeks of asking participants to write a few sentences each week of what they are grateful for they slept better, were more optimistic, exercised more, and had fewer doctor appointments than the other group who had written about irritations in their life instead. Other studies of Dr. Emmons have shown that regularly practicing gratitude increases overall happiness and lessens depression.
Another key researcher of gratitude is neuroscientist Glenn Fox. He first started studying gratitude’s effect on the brain for his doctorate. He interestingly found how gratitude manifests in the brain. This is done by the release of a hormone known as oxytocin. The brain signals the hypothalamus to release this hormone into the bloodstream via neuron signals. Oxytocin is tied to human behavior, as well as childbirth. Fox says that it makes sense to have developed gratitude from a social context as building connections with others is a critical part of thriving. As a result, this expression of gratitude can increase social ties and strengthen relationships. He also found that those who regularly practice gratitude are less easily triggered and have more positive rather than negative feelings. This helps the nervous system stay in parasympathetic mode rather than fight or flight. This has been associated with lower blood pressure and inflammation levels.
Lastly, a study in 2014 on athletes published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, found that gratitude increased all athletes’ performance toward optimal by increasing self-esteem. Instead of constantly comparing themselves to other athletes, they appreciated rather than resented others’ accomplishments, improving their own self-esteem. While it is important to note that it is hard to prove cause and effect in most of these studies, as they are more psychological than scientific, the science does back up that exhibiting gratitude is linked to overall better well-being.
Ready to practice some gratitude to see for yourself how it improves your life? Well, here are three easy ways to implement gratitude into your daily life. Start a gratitude journal. In this journal write 1-3 things you are grateful for each day, and then at the end of the week go back and reflect on all that you were grateful for. It doesn’t have to be serious or major to make it in the journal. Learning to appreciate the little things is a big part of gratitude. You can also make your own gratitude cues. This might look like writing down inspirational quotes or photos of loved ones in the places you are in daily. Lastly, make a gratitude jar. Get your household, especially kids, in on it too! Have each person write one thing they are thankful for each day and review them together over dinner or before bed. Before you know it, you will have a grateful heart and better health!
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