You have probably heard the cliché “an attitude of gratitude”. Phrases usually only become clichés when they contain much truth. People who have gratitude are usually healthier and happier. Why? How? What is it in gratitude that is so good for us? Specifically, how does it work to improve our physical and mental health? What can you do to harness its benefits?
Gratitude, the state of being thankful, has a substantial impact on our well-being. It shifts our mindset away from what we lack to what we have. Gratitude is a positive emotion, with all the bodily and psychological benefits that it brings.
What are the physical benefits of gratitude?
Reduced levels of stress hormones
Positive emotions, including gratitude, can reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol. Cortisol is useful for short-term crises but deeply harmful when it remains in the body at elevated levels. Gratitude reduces the level of cortisol.
Gratitude triggers the brain to release into our bloodstream a cocktail of beneficial, helpful hormones and neurotransmitters.
- Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is thought to play a central function in pleasure, reward, and motivation. It helps us to feel good, and that reinforces positive behaviours, making us more likely to practice gratitude in the future.
- Serotonin is also a neurotransmitter. It helps us to regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. It, too, contributes to feelings of happiness and well-being.
- Oxytocin has another common name: the “love hormone“. Oxytocin seems to help us connect with others. It is thought to reduce stress and create feelings of trust. It seems central to the human bonding process.
- Endorphins act as the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. By helping to reduce pain, they increase feelings of pleasure.
When gratitude is present, the helpful hormones work together to create a positive feedback loop. Gratitude releases the internal chemicals, which makes us feel happier, healthier, and more connected to others. That in turn gives us more to be grateful for, and on goes the cycle.
More benefits
- Gratitude improves our sleep. A technique you can use to harness this effect is to mentally list the things you are grateful for as you are getting ready to sleep.
- Strengthened immune system. Most positive emotions, including gratitude, can strengthen our immune system. That in turn makes us more resistant to illness. Which gives us even more to be grateful for.
- Lowered blood pressure. There is more good news; regular practice of gratitude can help lower our blood pressure. That in turn reduces our risk of heart disease and strokes.
- Reduced pain. Gratitude is also known to alleviate physical pain, which is hardly surprising, given that it releases the body’s natural painkillers, endorphins.
We could stop here, and the physical benefits alone make gratitude worth practising. Yet there is more!
What are the mental health benefits of gratitude?
- Increased happiness. Gratitude is known to boost feelings of happiness and life satisfaction. In fact, the impact can be within seconds of starting to recount things for which we can be grateful.
- Triggering positive emotions. Expressing gratitude triggers positive emotions like joy, contentment, and peace. Let’s try it now. Think of 10 things for which you are grateful. Dwell on each one, and really connect with how appreciative you are. Can you feel the difference already? If so, you know why gratitude is so good for us
- Reduced stress and anxiety. It is nearly impossible to focus on two separate aspects of life at the same time. That means, when we focus on the positive, gratitude reduces our levels of stress and anxiety.
- Enhanced resilience. When people feel positive, empowered, optimistic, or grateful, their levels of resilience are higher. Practising gratitude can increase our resilience, enabling us to better cope with adversity.
- Improved relationships. Gratitude can also improve the quality of our relationships, especially when we are grateful for the people in our lives and we let them know that we are.
- Habitual shift of focus. If we practice gratitude regularly enough, it helps us to shift from a negative perspective to a positive one.
What are the practical techniques to practise gratitude?
Here are some practical techniques to incorporate gratitude into your daily life:
- Keep a journal. Take a few moments each morning and evening to write down things you are grateful for.
- Meditation. When you meditate, take a few moments to induce and sit with feelings of gratitude.
- Affirmations. Choose one or more empowering affirmations that you can repeat to yourself every so often throughout the course of the day.
- Express your gratitude to others. Whether you tell or write to the person you are grateful for, let them know. It is good for all parties.
- Incorporate gratitude into daily activities. For example, when you are walking, be grateful that you can and appreciate what is around you. When you eat, savour the food and be appreciative that you have it.
- Giving someone a reason to be grateful will boost your sense of gratitude. Whether you engage in a random act of kindness and help someone who needs it, or you help people who can never return the favour, it will boost you. When you give or help, be grateful that you are in a position to do so.
- Praise someone publicly. Why wait until someone dies to tell the world how much you appreciated them? Tell them now, while you and they can benefit from your gratitude.
- Celebrations and milestones. When you have set yourself a goal, take time to appreciate every step you take towards achieving it. The ongoing encouragement that gives you makes the journey better than the inn (to draw from Cervantes famous line about the journey being better than the inn – meaning, enjoy and be grateful for the process as you travel towards your goal; it is where you spend most of your time).
- Create symbols of your gratitude. Whether it is a poem, a sketch, or a playlist of songs, a piece of sculpture, or a short story. Create something that symbolises your gratitude. You will benefit from it repeatedly: when you have the idea, when you create it, and each time you encounter it.
Professor Nigel MacLennan runs the performance coaching practice PsyPerform.
