Being Grateful Is Good For You!
GRATITUDE AND HEALTH Feeling thankful can improve your health in both direct and indirect ways. Some research shows that the experience of gratitude can induce a sense of relaxation, improve the immune system, and decrease blood pressure. But grateful people also tend to cultivate better health habits, like eating more nutritious food, exercising, and avoiding risky behaviors. In addition, the optimism that stems from gratitude can create a healing attitude. GRATITUDE AND JOY Robert Emmons, an internationally renowned scientific expert on gratitude, has found that acknowledging the good in life has a tendency to amplify positive emotions, such as joy and contentment, because it helps us slow down. Consider the last time you had a good cup of coffee—did you pay attention to the warmth of the cup on your hands? It’s easy to ignore these small moments of positivity in our day as we rush from one activity to another, but stopping to appreciate themmakes themmore powerful. GRATITUDE AND RESILIENCE Practicing gratitude can also make you better equipped to handle the difficulties of life that inevitably arise. Even despair can be mitigated by the experience of appreciation for the good in life. Emmons,R. (2010November16).Whygratitude isgood.GreaterGood. Retrieved fromhttp://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_ good .Emmons,R.A.,Stern,R. (2013).Gratitudeasapsychotherapeutic inter- vention.JournalofClinicalPsychology;69(8),846-855.Excerpts taken from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/10-ways-be-more-thankful-person
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