Since Thanksgiving is in the air, it’s a wonderful time to synchronize with the holiday and discuss the importance of gratitude for health. I realize this article is not about the newest fitness gig to hit the market or the latest diet tip to optimize well-being. Instead, it’s about a universal concept related to human happiness and health – gratitude.
When it comes to sharing the importance of gratitude, I sought research that substantiates it’s value to humanity. The best research I could find in support of gratitude’s beneficial effects was provided by Dr. Robert A. Emmons. Dr. Emmons is the world’s leading expert on the psychology of gratitude. He is also the editor and chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology and author of a book I recently read called Thanks!.
After reading his book, Thanks!, I felt that the concept of gratitude is more than just a concept we talk about on Thanksgiving.
Gratitude has far reaching benefits for human health and happiness around the globe.
In a nutshell, here’s a few things that I learned from research:
From: Thanks – How the Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier
1. People who regularly practice grateful thinking can increase their “set point” for happiness by as much as 25%!
2. Increases in happiness can be sustained over a period of months–challenging the previously held notion that our set-points for happiness are frozen at birth.
3. Keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks can result in better sleep and more energy.
While it’s one thing to “know about” the value of gratitude, it’s another to “know” it from practice and experience.
Put it to Practice
So, to prove the value to gratitude to yourself, try writing down (not just thinking about) 10 aspects of your life that you are grateful for and see how you feel when you’re done.
And if you want to take the gratitude you feel into action, share your gratitude with a friend, spouse, child, relative, neighbor, co-worker etc. to show them how much you appreciate them.
Thanks for Reading. Spread the Gratitude. Share this with Others.
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