The Benefits of Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. It’s a social emotion that signals our recognition of the things others have done for us. For the last 20 or so years, many researchers have been studying the science of gratitude and it has become an important part of psychology research, especially positive psychology.

Here’s a round-up of the many benefits of gratitude:

Emotional Benefits:

? Gratitude makes us happier. Simply journaling for five minutes daily about what we are grateful for can enhance our long-term happiness by over 10%.

? Gratitude increases psychological well-being. A high level of gratitude has a strong positive impact on psychological well-being, self-esteem, and depression.

? Gratitude enhances our positive emotions. Gratitude reduces envy, facilitates positive emotions, and makes us more resilient.

Social Benefits:

? Gratitude makes people like us. Those who are more grateful have access to a wider social network, more friends, and better relationships.

? Gratitude improves our romantic relationships. Expressing gratitude to our significant others improves the quality of our relationship.

? Gratitude improves our friendships. Those who express their gratitude towards friends are more likely to work through problems and concerns with friends and have a more overall positive perception of them.

Personality Benefits:

? Gratitude makes us more optimistic. Regular gratitude journaling resulted in 5%-15% increases in optimism. People show greater tendencies towards positivity and an expanded capacity for happiness.

? Gratitude reduces materialism. Those who are more grateful tend to be less materialistic and enjoy greater life satisfaction.

? Gratitude makes us more giving. Promoting gratitude makes people more likely to share with others, even at the expense of themselves, and even if the receiver was a stranger.

Career benefits:

? Gratitude can reduce impatience and improve decision-making. People who are more grateful than others are less likely to be impatient during economic decision-making, leading to better decisions and less pressure from the desire for short-term gratification.

? Gratitude helps us find meaning in work. Gratitude is one factor that can help people find meaning in their job, along with their strengths, positive emotions, hope, and finding a “calling.”

? Gratitude helps us feel positive about our workplace. Gratitude and respect in the workplace can help employees feel welcomed, valued, and embedded in their organization.

Physical Health Benefits:

? Gratitude can reduce depressive symptoms. While practicing gratitude journaling, participants experienced a 35% reduction in depressive symptoms.

? Gratitude can improve your sleep. A two-week gratitude intervention increased sleep quality and reduce blood pressure in participants, leading to enhanced well-being.

? Gratitude can improve your overall physical health. The more grateful a person is, the more likely he or she has better physical and psychological health.

Want to start a gratitude practice? Try these ideas to start:

? Keep a gratitude journal and add to it every day. Try to include new things to be grateful (and try not to repeat).

? Tell someone that you love them and how much you appreciate them.

? Watch inspiring videos that remind you of the good in this world.

? Avoid negative media.

? Spend quality time with your kids.

? Write a letter to someone you haven’t contacted in a while and tell them something nice.

? Have a “no complaint day” where you won’t complain about anything!

? Meditate with your gratitude list, giving thanks for your good fortune.

? See the growth opportunities in your mistakes.

? Help your friends and family see the positive things in life, or help them “reframe” a bad thing into something positive.

? Have each person share something they are grateful for at dinner time.

Try one of these ideas this week and see how it affects your emotions, health, relationships, or work.

I would love to hear your stories!