From an early age, you were taught to say “please” and “thank you.” Important, simple, manners.
But, did you know that there are great health benefits in being thankful? In fact, acts and attitudes of gratitude can significantly improve your health.
It’s an amazing gift we’ve been given. An amazing gift we can give.
The Bible is clear on gratitude.
In 1 Thessalonians 5 we are admonished to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will God in Christ Jesus for you.”
In loving kindness, God’s directives lead us toward health.
Now, science is catching up. Researchers are finding that gratitude is vital to health. Here’s how.
5 Ways Gratitude Improves Health
Mental Health:
Believe it or not, you can decrease cortisol, the stress hormone, by up to 23% by practicing gratitude (1). What’s more, health care practitioners have sustained lower perceived stress (decrease of 28%) and depression by keeping a gratitude journal. (2)
How is this important to overall health?
High, chronic cortisol levels are associated with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart health, and metabolic syndrome (3). Most modern stress is mental rather than physical. It’s caused by relationships, traffic, computer malfunction, and busy schedules. It’s not typically a physical threat.
If it were physical, we’d use cortisol to our advantage and then “release it” by running for our lives. But ours just sets mentally. It festers and damages.
Unless you meet mental cortisol with its match: Gratitude.
In addition, gratitude improves brain health by:
- Improving mental resilience to overcome trauma and difficulties
- Reducing negative emotions such as envy, regret, and resentment
- Increasing self-esteem
- Lowering the risk of depression
- Increasing positive emotions such as empathy for others
Heart Health:
Be thankful with a grateful heart. Amazingly, a grateful heart is a healthier heart.
In studies, gratitude is associated with better cholesterol levels, lower your blood pressure and decreased heart rate variability. This all works together to improve cardiovascular health and overall health (4, 5)
Healthy Habits and Change:
Some benefits of gratitude work in reverse.
Researchers have found that those who practice gratitude also tend to make healthier choices. Specifically, there’s an association between those who are reportedly grateful and less use of tobacco, more exercise, and better food choices (5, 6).
On the flip side, gratitude intervention shows promise when helping patients increase healthy habits. In one study, 31% of participants quit smoking and maintained abstinence after 6 months, compared to meta-analysis averages of 23% with a nicotine patch alone (7).
Immune System Health:
Gratitude and optimism can actually improve your body’s response to disease.
How?
Studies have found that our bodies produce more disease-fighting cells when we are grateful and optimistic (11).
And, remember gratitude’s effect on cortisol?
As we age, our immune function declines, in part due to an imbalance in cortisol vs. dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). As we reduce chronic cortisol, we can maintain a healthier balance with DHEA levels and immune function (8).
Healthy Aging:
One key factor to healthy aging is brain health. One key habit for brain health is sleep.
As you practice gratitude, you improve sleep.
In fact, a study of 400 individuals, many of whom had sleep disorders, found that writing gratitudes before sleep improves both the quality and duration of sleep (9).
In another study, gratitude has was linked to a 10 percent improvement in sleep and a 19 percent decrease in depression levels in patients with chronic disease and insomnia (10).
The Most Important Thanksgiving Recipe
When you stop and think about it, Thanksgiving is an amazing Holiday. Beyond its historical significance, our modern-day practice involves taking time off work and cooperatively giving thanks.
This year, along with the cooking and eating, focus on the most important Thanksgiving recipe: Daily Gratitude.
How can you cultivate the daily habit of gratitude?
It’s like a muscle. You have to work at it to make it stronger. Here are 3 tips:
- Schedule it in and prioritize a time to be grateful. This is a no-compromise time.
- Write down just 1-3 things per day in which you are grateful. List them. Pray and give thanks for them.
- If you need more inspiration, consider the book 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. In it, Ann discussed gratitude throughout Scripture, and how gratitude precedes the miracles.
Feeling Appreciated Also Improves Health
Want to double the benefits?
Express gratitude to others. When someone feels appreciated, they also experience the health benefits listed above. Both giving and receiving gratitude improves your health.
What a gift.
