Thankfulness Leads to a Healthier Life

Do you want to live healthier? A number of recent studies have found that living with a thankful perspective on life actually increases your general sense of well being and your physical healthi Our natural tendency is for our minds to dwell on problems unresolved, opportunities missed, relationships broken, promises unkept, faded dreams, fears of uncertainty, and guilt over past mistakes. While life does bring its share of challenges and disappointments, it also brings us great joys: problems solved, opportunities seized, relationships built, promises kept, dreams fulfilled, hope that reassures our fear—blessing upon blessing.

An attitude of gratitude provides a lifeline to carry us through the darkest moments and uncertainties of life as it reaches into the depths of our souls with awareness of God’s faithful provision for us. That same spirit of thankfulness causes our hearts to overflow with joy. A few years ago, researchers Robert A. Emmons from the University of California, Davis and Michael E. McCullough from the University of Miami conducted a study on the dimensions of gratitude. They considered how an attitude of thankfulness influences our emotional and physical well-being, and they found that it really does make a healthier difference.

But there's a catch: You have to do it even when the calendar does not say "Thanksgiving.""It doesn't really work if you do it only once a year," says Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside.Practicing gratitude is like exercising, says Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis: Use it, and you won't lose it, even when times are tough, as they are for many folks right now.

Lyubomirsky and Emmons are among researchers who have studied the power of gratitude and learned, for example, that:

•People with high blood pressure not only lower their blood pressure, but feel less hostile and are more likely quit smoking and lose weight when they practice gratitude. In one study, patients just called a research hotline once a week to report on the things that made them grateful.

•People who care for relatives with Alzheimer's disease feel less stress and depression when they keep daily gratitude journals, listing the positive things in their lives.

•Those who maintain a thankful attitude through life appear to have lower risks of several disorders, including depression, phobias, bulimia and alcoholism.

•Most people can lift their mood simply by writing a letter of thanks to someone. Hand-deliver the letter, and the boost in happiness can last weeks or months.

Practicing gratitude in these systematic ways changes people by changing brains that "are wired for negativity, for noticing gaps and omissions," Emmons says. "When you express a feeling, you amplify it. When you express anger, you get angrier; when you express gratitude, you become more grateful." And grateful people, he says, don't focus so much on pain and problems. They also are quicker to realize they have friends, families and communities to assist them in times of need. They see how they can help others in distress as well, he says.

After 9/11, many people reported increased feelings of gratitude, says Chris Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. It's too soon for studies on the influence of the nation's financial meltdown, but Peterson says he hears a lot of people counting their blessing these days. "There are people who say 'It could be worse, and I'm glad I have my health.' " Gratitude won't get those people new jobs or replenish their retirement accounts, but it could give them the energy to tackle their challenges, Peterson says: "It can only help."

So as you gather today with family to give thanks, keep that attitude of gratitude throughout the year. You will be happier for it.

Blessings,

Dr. Paul