Arvind M. Dhople, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Florida Tech
As we approach Thanksgiving, a widely celebrated day dedicated to remembering and acknowledging the goodness in our lives, we should stop to reflect on how this process of giving thanks for our blessings can positively impact our lives and also to the lives to our families and friends.
Many studies have found there are benefits of gratitude – both mental and physical – and all it takes to enjoy them is a little bit of introspection. Here are seven surprising benefits of practicing Gratitude.
Gratitude can make you more patient: It has been found that people who felt grateful for little, everyday things are more patient and better able to make sensible decisions, compared to those who didn’t feel very gracious on a day-to-day basis.
Gratitude might improve your relationship: According to a study, feeling grateful toward your partner – and vice versa – can improve numerous aspects of your relationship, including feeling 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.
Gratitude improves self-care: In a study, people are asked to rate their levels of gratitude, physical health and psychological health, as well as how likely they were to do wellbeing-boosting behaviors like exercise, healthy eating and going to the doctor. They found positive correlations between gratitude and each of these behaviors, suggesting that giving thanks helps people appreciate and care for their bodies.
Gratitude can help you sleep: “Count blessings, not sheep”. 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”, which may soothe the nervous system. If you’re going to make a daily gratitude list, write it before bed.
Gratitude may stop you from overeating: Gratitude replenishes willpower. The concept is similar to the one connecting between gratitude and patience: 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, then recommend 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 can help ease depression: Experiments have shown that people whole partake in the “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 weeks. If there were a drug that did that, whoever patented that drug would be rich. “Gratitude is very powerful”. (*) The most proven technique for increasing long term happiness has been proven again and again.
Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well. You may use a journal or your computer to write about the events, but it is important that you have a physical record of what you wrote. The three things need not be earthshaking in importance (“My husband picked up my favorite ice cream for dessert on the way home from work today”).
Next to each positive event, answer the question “Why did this happen?”. For example, if you wrote that your husband picked up ice cream, write “because my husband really thoughtful sometimes”.
Writing about why the positive events in your life happened may seem awkward at first, but please stick with it for one week. It will get easier. The odds are that you will be less depressed, happier, and addicted to this exercise six months from now.
Gratitude gives you happiness that lasts: Lots of things, from a compliment to a sugary treat, can bring little bursts of happiness. But instant gratification also goes away quickly which leaves you craving more. Gratitude is something that leads to much more sustainable forms of happiness, because it’s not based in that immediate gratification; it’s a frame of mind. If you regularly take time to express gratitude and thankfulness, you’re likely to see results.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them”.
— John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)
35th President of the United States