What is Gratitude?

According to psychologists, gratitude can change your brain because it shifts your thinking from a negative focus to appreciating all the positive things in our lives.

In 2015 National Gratitude Month became a reality thanks to its founder, Stacy Grewal who says that gratitude saved her life physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Today, Professor Robert Emmons, a world-renowned expert on gratitude, encourages all his students to keep a gratitude journal. He has reported that even among those who only kept a journal for three weeks, “the results were astounding.”

Emmons describes the benefits in three different groups:

Physical:

• Stronger immune systems
• Less bothered by aches and pains
• Lower blood pressure
• Exercise more and take better care of their health
• Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking

Psychological:

• Higher levels of positive emotions
• More alert, alive, and awake
• More joy and pleasure
• More optimism and happiness

Social:

• More helpful, generous, and compassionate
• More forgiving
• More outgoing
• Feel less lonely and isolated

 

Eric Owens of Antimaximalist has written a list of five ways to practice gratitude this month.

1. Like Professor Emmons, Owens lists as number one: Write in a gratitude journal. He suggests writing down the one person/one thing that you are grateful for each day.
2. First thing in the morning, before you even get out of bed, think of three things you are grateful for. It can include anything that you are looking forward to doing that day.
3. Show appreciation to your spouse. Don’t think of the things that annoy you about this person but think of the things he does that make you feel good.
4. Give an extra-large tip. If you usually tip 15%, give a 20 % tip. If you usually tip 20%, give a 25% tip. Remember that restaurant servers have been listed as the least appreciated people in the US society.
5. Stop and smell the roses, appreciate the surrounding beauty of your environment.

In another list, Forbes Magazine published 7 scientifically proven benefits of gratitude:

1. It’s great for business because it opens the door to more relationships. It can help in making new friends. “Thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.”
2. Gratitude can improve your physical health. According to a 2012 study printed in Personality and Individual Differences, “Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains, and they report feeling healthier than other people.”
3. Psychological health is improved by practicing gratitude. Backing up this statement is another quote from Robert Emmons, PhD, “Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret.”
4. Gratitude has the power to reduce aggression. This statement is backed up by a 2021 study at the University of Kentucky where they found that “Grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kind.”
5. You’re going to gain a beautiful night’s sleep. All you need to do is jot down a couple of grateful thoughts before turning out the light.
6. Your self-esteem will rocket upward. In a study done with athletes, it was found that gratitude increased the athletes’ self-esteem and resulted in optimum performance. Other studies show that gratitude reduces social comparisons.
7. An attitude of gratitude can increase mental strength by reducing stress and overcoming trauma. In a 2006 study it was found that Vietnam War Veterans “with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.”

Gratitude is like a seed that can be planted. Nourish it with thoughts about what you have and all that you can give. You will find that when the bad times come, and they do, you will have grown an unbelievable amount of resilience.

Gratitude for November and onward!