What Gratitude Does to Your Health
If you’ve been reading aboutrecently published studies and articles about happiness and how to achieve it, you must have come across with the concept of ‘gratitude’ plenty of times by now. The science of gratitude has been gaining a lot of attention from positive psychologists and neuroscientists around the world because of the growing idea that it has healing and transformative benefits to human health.
The Science of Gratitude
Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has. We practise gratitude when we say “thank you” to people who have helped us, and when we feel blessed about the things we’ve got and all the positive things we have experienced, no matter how insignificant they appear to be. Gratitude serves as the water that makes the glass ‘half full’. Both religious teachings and medical research agree that cultivating gratitude and appreciation is one way to restore harmony and balance in our lives.
Gratitude, in its very sense, provides healing from two inner human sufferings. The first is the feeling of ‘insufficiency’ – not having enough or not being enough. Without gratitude, we would find it hard to recognise our efforts, successes and achievements in life. It’s like working hard but still not getting what we really want in life. This leads to the second form of suffering –being incessantly busy trying to exceed our own expectations about ourselves, and trying to get more. This leads to great stress and dissatisfaction.
The Transformative Effects of Gratitude
Being grateful is essential to being happy. The wonder behind gratitude is that it reverses the pattern of looking outwardly for satisfaction. Instead, it puts us in touch of the many gifts and blessings we already have. When we practise gratitude, we tend to generate happiness inside.
Studies have shown that gratitude can significantly improve our mental health. Psychologists at the University of California, Davis and University of Miami, have done extensive research on gratitude and its effects on human health. In one study, they asked the participants to write a few sentences about certain topics, each week. One group wrote about the things they were grateful of and another group wrote about the things that displease them. After 10 weeks, those who practised gratitude through writing were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. They also exercised more and had fewer doctor visits than those who wrote about negative things.
A similar study by the University of Pennsylvania found that participants who practised gratitudeexhibited a huge increase in their happiness scores.
Another study by the University of North Carolina and published in 2010 suggests that small thoughtful gestures and a little everyday gratitude towards one’s partner can significantly increase the couple’s happiness and strengthen their relationship.
Gratitude is good for teen’s mental health too. That’s according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Here, researchers found that teens who practised gratefulness are better-behaved at school and more hopeful than their less-grateful peers. They are also less depressed or envious.
What’s more – showing appreciation to others also make you a better friend to others. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that gratitude can boost pro-social behaviours, such as helping others who have problems or lending emotional support.
Not only is gratitude good for our well-being, it is also good for our physical health. In the paper published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, people who wrote down things they are thankful for before going to bed slept faster and longer. In a much older study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, practising gratitude was linked with changes in heart rate variability. It also boosts one’s immune system, according to a study by the University of Utah.
Cultivating Gratitude
Despite all these amazing benefits, practising gratitude can be difficult sometimes. Ever told “I’m happy for you” to someone who got your dream job? The words and feelings don’t just seem to match. But just like optimism, the habit of gratefulness can be learned. We can all begin with saying “thank you” to anyone who does good things to us, no matter how small such things are. We can also practise saying ‘thank you’ to those who have shown compassion to others like the paramedics, firemen, nurses, teachers or caregivers who never stop helping others in need.
Aside from verbally saying it, gratitude and appreciation can also be expressed through kind acts. Gratitude is shown whenever you open the door for someone who’s carrying a lot of stuff, when you prepare a cup of coffee for your mum during a cold winter morning, or when you call a friend when they are feeling down.
In what other ways can we show gratitude and appreciation? Feel free to post your comment below.
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