Gratitude promotes health and well-being in difficult times – 06/18/2023 – Equilíbrio

Stacy Batten says her entire year in 2022 was dreadful.

Her husband died of cancer, and her father passed away after prolonged treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer. And she herself moved from Seattle to Fairfield County, Connecticut, on the other side of the country, after selling the house she had lived in for 26 years.

She was devastated, but she found that she felt better when she tried to identify the good moments in each day. So she took a large jar with a stopper and converted it into her “gratitude bottle”, which she now always keeps on her nightstand.

Every night she writes down a few things she is grateful for on a piece of paper and puts it in the jar. It’s often simple things like “I met a new neighbor” or “Went for a walk with my mom and dog.”

“The sadness, the grief, is still there,” says Batten, 56. “But writing down those little daily notes has helped me.”

Two decades ago, a landmark study led by psychologist Robert A. Emmons sought to understand how people benefit from gratitude. It was a question that scientists had rarely explored before.

Emmons’ findings suggested that gratitude improves psychological well-being and inspired much later research. Numerous studies to date have found that having a grateful mindset, “counting our blessings,” and expressing gratitude to others can have positive effects on our emotional health, as well as our interpersonal or romantic relationships.

In addition, some research, although not all, has already shown that gratitude can also be good for physical health.

“Gratitude heals, energizes, and transforms lives,” says Emmons. “It is the prism through which we view life in terms of gifts, givers, goodness and grace.”

Learn more about why gratitude is so powerful and how we can incorporate it into our daily lives.

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude is a positive emotion that can arise when you recognize that there are good things in your life and that other people—or higher powers, if you believe in them—have helped you achieve those good things.

In other words, asserts Emmons, the sources of good things “are at least partially outside of ourselves.”

You might feel gratitude when someone treats you kindly, for example.

But, says Philip Watkins, professor of psychology at Eastern Washington University and author of “Gratitude and the Good Life,” “feeling is only half of the equation.” To reap the benefits of that emotion, he says, it’s equally important to express gratitude.

How does it benefit you?

Many studies have asked participants to write thank-you letters or lists of the positive things in their lives and then measure the effects of these actions.

The results suggest that performing this type of activity has benefits for mental health – it reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, raises self-esteem and increases satisfaction with everyday life. But some studies have found that gratitude interventions are not necessarily more effective at promoting well-being than other types of activities, such as asking people to write about the details of their day. Still, experts say, that doesn’t detract from the usefulness of gratitude activities.

Multiple studies have shown that expressing gratitude to acquaintances, co-workers, friends or romantic partners can provide a boost to a relationship and “helps the bond grow stronger,” says Sara Algoe, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who researched how gratitude benefits relationships.

And when researchers looked at people’s moods, they found that those who are more likely to experience gratitude in their daily lives have lower levels of depression and sleep better.

Not only does gratitude improve the well-being of those who give and receive it, it can also do good to those who witness it. Watching an act of gratitude between two people can lead an observer to feel more kinship and positive feelings towards both.

“What impresses me are the objective, biologically verifiable results that go beyond self-reported criteria,” points out Emmons. For example, gratitude has been linked to lower blood pressure and, in a pilot study, higher levels of heart rate variability, a marker of well-being.

One moment a day is enough

Gratitude studies don’t indicate how often we should express gratitude or what are the best ways to put it into practice. But many experts feel that a small dose of gratitude once a day is ideal.

“I think the benefits of gratitude activities really show through long-term habits,” says Joel Wong, professor of psychology at Indiana University’s School of Education. His study wants to understand whether expressing gratitude in a six-week group program can help people with depression.

To develop the lasting habit of gratitude, try to tie the practice into a routine that is already part of your life, recommends Wong. He himself chooses to think about the things he is grateful for in the morning.

“I do this when I turn on my computer at work,” he says.

Philadelphia-based psychologist Gretchen Schmelzer often incorporates gratitude exercises into her work with clients, and says these can be especially helpful when people are going through difficult times. Earlier this year, she fell while hiking and broke both her legs, which forced her to use a wheelchair for six weeks.

To keep from falling into negative thoughts while she’s recovering, she reminds herself daily to “feel gratitude for what I can do — and not let myself dwell on what I can’t.”

“Gratitude allows us to look at what we need to do and feel like there’s abundance in our lives,” he adds.

While many studies have shown the value of writing a letter to express gratitude, it doesn’t have to be long or time consuming. A quick email or text message might do the trick.

Be specific

Imagine that your partner is thanking you for cleaning the kitchen after dinner. Which statement would you rather hear?

“Thanks!” or “I’m grateful that you took the initiative and took care of all the kitchen chores today. I love how we take turns at this to give each other a break.”

Specificity is important “because it deepens our experience of gratitude,” says Wong. “It intensifies our grateful thoughts and emotions.”

Wong created a list of 100 questions that can serve as helpful reminders when you think about gratitude more specifically, whether you’re thanking someone else or making a list of things in your life you’re grateful for.

His suggestion is that this exercise be done in writing.

“The act of writing slows down our thought process and allows for more deliberate reflection,” Wong points out. “By writing, we keep a permanent record of what we’re grateful for. We can go back to our gratitude journal months or years later and remember what we remember what we were grateful for.”

Translated by Clara Allain