How gratitude can improve your health.

Gratitude is one of the pillars of positive psychology, a branch of the vast field that deals with what makes people feel good and happy . One of the large American websites devoted to positive psychology lists as many as 28 benefits for well-being and health - both mental and physical - that come from practicing gratitude. That is , appreciating what you have and what you experience. These 28 benefits include better self-esteem and better quality of relationships, but also better sleep , help in the fight against depression and a healthier heart. ¹ .

Practicing gratitude reduces the number of visits to the doctor.

Psychologist prof. Robert A. Emmons has devoted the last dozen or so years to research on gratitude and its impact on health. In one of the studies he conducted together with Dr. Michael E. McCullough from the University of Miami, participants were divided into two groups. Some wrote down what they were grateful for in the past week. Others wrote about what irritated , frustrated and angered them. The third group wrote about everything that happened, without judging these events.

After 10 weeks, those in the first group felt better , had a better opinion about their life situation and felt a surge of optimism . Interestingly, it also turned out that they exercised more often and had fewer reasons to visit a doctor compared to the group that focused on the negatives .

A letter of thanks increases your sense of happiness.

Another outstanding specialist in positive psychology, Dr. Martin EP Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania, conducted a simple study on a group of 411 people. Each of them had to write a letter of thanks to the person they had not had the opportunity to thank or to someone to whom they had not expressed their gratitude sufficiently. It turned out that when the participants' level of happiness was measured immediately after writing the letter and handing it to the recipient, they felt deep satisfaction and happiness , and this state lasted for up to a month. ² .

Gratitude helps relieve stress and supports healthy eating.

Other aspects were studied by scientists from the universities of Utah and Kentucky. They decided to check how gratitude affects immunity . They found that among law students who reported high levels of stress, the immune response was stronger among those who described themselves as optimists . In addition, people who keep "gratitude journals" consume as much as 25% less fat than others, and their cortisol levels are as much as 23% lower ! "Gratitude works because - as a way of experiencing and interpreting life - it causes a number of other positive emotions that have a direct impact on health, especially through the immune and endocrine systems ," said Prof. in one of the interviews. Emmons ³ .

Gratitude supports heart health.

But that's not all. Prof. Paul J.Mills from the Medical University of San Diego showed that gratitude affects the condition of the heart and the entire circulatory system. People who feel and show gratitude have less inflammation and a more regular heart rhythm . “These people showed better well-being, less fatigue and slept better. This is because when I feel grateful, I have a better connection with myself and my surroundings. This is the exact opposite of what stress does," says Prof. Mills ⁴ .

Research by prof. Mills's work received wide coverage and was published, among others, in media related to the American Psychological Association ⁵ . Previous research found that people who considered themselves more spiritual had better overall well-being. Therefore, Mills and other researchers decided to check how this spirituality and feeling of gratitude affects biomarkers , i.e. measurable changes in the body's cells.

186 women and men took part in the study. All of them were diagnosed with asymptomatic heart failure at least 3 months before the study . They had, for example, a heart attack but did not show symptoms, such as fatigue. Using standardized psychological tests, researchers assessed patients' gratitude levels and compared these scores with those on depression symptoms, sleep quality, fatigue, self-efficacy, and health biomarkers.

It turned out that the greater gratitude (measured on a special scale), the better mood, sleep and ... less inflammation , which can lead to deterioration of the heart condition. Gratitude was the key to feeling better and reducing the risk of developing serious heart disease. To confirm the results, the researchers asked some patients to keep diaries for 8 weeks in which they wrote down everything they were grateful for . What did they discover? Those patients who kept notes had less inflammation and a lower risk of heart attack. Application? “A grateful heart is a healthier heart,” says Prof. Mills ⁶ .

Bibliography:

1. Courtney E. Ackerman, “28 Benefits of Gratitude & Most Significant Research Findings,” positivepsychology.com, April 12, 2017
2.  “Giving thanks can make you happier”, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, health.harvard.edu, August 14, 2021
3. Lauren Dunn, “Be thankful: Science says gratitude is good for your health,” today.com, November 26, 2015.
4. As above.
5. Jim Sliwa, “A Grateful Heart is a Healthier Heart,” American Psychological Association, apa.org, 2015.
6. As above.