Gratitude Is Good: Why It’s Important And How To Cultivate It
The pandemic has made us weary, and while it might be cathartic to make a list of all we’ve lost, all we’re tired of and all we want to leave behind, expressing gratitude is actually a better idea.
Gratitude is a powerful positive force. Far from a fluffy or frivolous concept, it has real impact on physical health, emotional wellbeing, motivation, engagement and belonging.
Here’s why gratitude is good, and how to bring more gratitude into your day.
Patience and Wellbeing
Most of us are impatient with the pandemic, and 2021 has arrived and the pandemic is still here. We were thrilled to usher in the new year, but we’re going to need to wait a bit longer until life is back to something closer to what it was before. The good news is gratitude can reduce impatience. A study published in Psychological Science found when people focused on being thankful, they were more able to demonstrate patience. In addition, a study published in the Review of Communication found gratitude has a positive impact on our mental and emotional states (optimism is an example) as well as physical health. It also predicts behaviors such as helping others and exercising. All of this means gratitude may be just what we need at the moment—while we’re hanging on—or still traipsing toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
Happiness and Satisfaction
Gratitude is also the root of happiness. It tends to focus you on what you have and replace a sense of what you might be lacking. According to some philosophers, you can’t feel both grateful and unhappy, so when your mind focuses on all you are thankful for, you’re more likely to feel joy. In addition, when you are more grateful, you tend to focus on the present—appreciating right now—and this can reduce a sense of yearning or anxiety about the future. In fact, what you’re grateful for today may be something you hoped for yesterday. In addition, by focusing on all you have, you perceive those elements of your life as growing larger. Hence, gratitude tends to give you a feeling of fullness—that what you have is enough—and this is associated with contentment.
Gratitude is also a “gateway emotion” of sorts. Philosophers over the years have suggested it’s the greatest virtue because it leads to so many others. For example, appreciation of someone can grow into love, gratitude for what you have can lead to greater satisfaction and loving your work can lead to improved performance.