The concept of gratitude — being grateful for what you have — is extremely powerful. Scientists have studied thankfulness in depth in recent decades, and research has indicated that experiencing and expressing gratitude to others can have significant consequences on our physical health and psychological well-being. The science of gratitude argues that if you practice thankfulness year-round and make it a consistent component of your attitude, you may reap a slew of positive outcomes.
The science of gratitude is part of a field of study known as positive psychology, which investigates how different approaches to life can improve human happiness. Researchers in positive psychology have shown that the health benefits of thankfulness should not be disregarded. Gratitude practice in tangible ways, such as writing in a notebook every day about something you’re grateful for, has been found in studies to lessen symptoms of sadness, improve health in heart failure patients, and assist people in demanding professions sleep and eat better.
“Gratitude is a valuable resource for creating resilience and helping promote health and well-being,” Dr. Fuschia Sirois Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Psychology, tells Bustle. According to a study, cultivating appreciation has a significant impact on physical health. “To date we’ve conducted research that has demonstrated the benefits of gratitude for people with inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and fibromyalgia,” according to Dr. Sirois. Even in patients with serious illnesses and no social support, practicing gratitude every day reduced their risk of sadness by up to six months.
Notably, the effects were slightly lower in persons suffering from fibromyalgia, a painful illness. “Living with fibromyalgia may make it more difficult to find things to be grateful for,” says Dr. Sirois. The effects of gratitude may vary depending on the difficulties in your life. Gratitude can make us feel better since it connects us with others and helps us care for ourselves. According to a 2010 review of studies on gratitude, it has been shown to strengthen interpersonal connections, trust, and emotional support. According to a 2013 study published in Personality & Individual Differences, thankfulness may have indirect health benefits since it stimulates us to seek out self-care activities such as exercising, eating nutrient-dense foods, and visiting the doctor when we’re unwell.
“My research has shown that grateful people tend to look after themselves more by practicing more frequent health-promoting behaviors, such as eating healthier, exercising regularly, getting good sleep, and avoiding unhealthy habits,” Dr. Sirois told Bustle. She believes that focusing on positive behaviors will lower the chance of chronic and major illnesses in the future. However, gratitude’s psychological impact extends beyond self-care; it has the ability to physically reshape our brains.There is no one thankfulness area in the brain, according to science, but it can have a big effect on brain function.
A study published in Neuroimage in 2016 discovered that cultivating appreciation for three months affected brain activity physically. According to the study, the participants in the study penned letters expressing their thanks, and three months later they exhibited “significantly greater and lasting neural sensitivity to gratitude.” In other words, individuals felt more thankfulness in general, and their brains showed significantly more activity when they expressed gratitude, particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex. That part of the brain is linked to decision-making and learning.
Gratitude, according to research published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2015, increases activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, which helps us regulate our emotions. According to Dr. Sirois, there are several reasons why thankfulness is so neurologically and psychologically effective. “Gratitude helps people shift their attention to the positive when they are dealing with a negative and stressful situation,” she claims. “This implies you’ll spend less time focusing on your problems. Gratitude also entails looking at the big picture, which can assist to contextualize your circumstances and provide a new perspective.”
She claims that a stressed brain sees things through a restricted lens because its threat centers are aroused. Gratitude causes us to broaden our perspective, which can aid in problem solving, whether it’s a difficult circumstance at work or a personal issue.Gratitude, on the other hand, cannot change everything. “It isn’t a magic bullet,” Dr. Sirois explains, and it can be difficult to nurture, especially if you have a major health problem or are under a lot of stress. If things are simply too difficult, the strain of gratitude may feel like an additional source of stress, so be gentle with yourself.
Small steps, according to experts, are the best approach to begin practicing thankfulness. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of Berkeley recommends the “three good things” practice, in which you sit down every night and write down three good things that happened throughout the day. It doesn’t take long, and you may notice benefits in the coming weeks – with or without Thanksgiving turkey.