The Benefits of Gratitude
23 November 2022
Excerpt from the Book: Finding Peace in Difficult Times, by Dr. Ted P. Asay and Dr. Mark D. Ogletree, 163-164.
Dr. Robert Emmons stated, “Gratitude is literally one of the few things that can measurably change people’s lives.” Although there are literally hundreds of psychological benefits to practicing gratitude, consider the following:
Practicing gratitude can lead to increases in optimism, vitality, happiness, a sense of well-being, and greater satisfaction with life.
Gratitude is related to individuals who are generous and compassionate towards others.
Grateful people also report feeling less envious and more generous with their possessions. Moreover, they enjoy better quality relationships.
Those who are grateful report more resistance to stress, adversity, serious trauma, and suffering.
Regarding mental health, those who express gratitude reported less stress, envy, resentment, regret, depression, and hopelessness.
Social benefits to gratitude include stronger relationships, greater quality in relationships, deeper emotional connections to others, more willing to forgive others, and stronger, more positive relationships with children and other family members.
From a physiological standpoint, gratitude has been related to improved immune system functioning, lower blood pressure, better kidney health, lower levels of stress hormones, lower levels of heart disease, increased sleep quality, and longer sleep duration.
In one study, people who regularly kept a gratitude journal and often verbally expressed their gratitude reported feeling closer and more connected to people, had better relationships, were more likely to help others, felt less lonely, felt less depressed, slept better, and were more pleasant to be around.
Dr. Robert Emmons has spent most of his professional life studying positive psychology and gratitude. In one investigation, Dr. Emmons conducted a 10-week gratitude study. His team of researchers placed participants in three groups. One group was encouraged to briefly record five things they were grateful for each week. A second group was asked to describe five hassles or negative events that had happened to them each week. Then the third group was invited to list five events, but they were not told to categorize them as positive or negative.
Prior to each participant writing about their blessings or their hassles, they completed a daily journal where they rated their moods, their physical health, and their overall well-being. Mood rating included feelings such as distress, excitement, sadness, stress, and happiness. They also rated their physical health, noting symptoms such as headaches, sore muscles, stomach pain, nausea, coughing, sore throat, and poor appetite. Finally, the participants rated how they felt about their lives, selecting descriptions that varied between delighted to terrible. The results of the ten-week study were fascinating. Dr. Ray Huntington explained,
The gratitude participants felt better about their lives and were more optimistic about the future than people in the other two groups. The gratitude group also reported fewer health concerns, like headaches, and spent significantly more time exercising than people in the other two groups. According to the scale Dr. Emmons used to calculate well-being, the people in the gratitude group were a full 25 percent happier than the participants in the hassles or neutral groups.
Without question, the expression of gratitude can have a powerful, positive impact on our mental, emotional, and physical health. The more we live in a state of daily thanksgiving, the happier we will be, and the better we will feel. Our stress and anxiety will decrease, and we will be in a better position to help those around us be kinder and happier.