What Are The Psychological Benefits of Gratitude

What Are the Psychological
Benefits of Gratitude?
Gratitude may make you happier; being thankful releases feel-good chemicals in the brain.
Plus, 5 ways to show self-gratitude.
BY AUDREY ENJOLI
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Self-care is essential, especially in today’s heavily polarized political

climate. For some, that’s eating healthily or having a mindfulness
practice, such as yoga or meditation. For others, self-care is as
simple as indulging in a relaxing soak in a hot bath. But there’s
another incredibly easy way you can enhance your overall well-
being: by practicing gratitude.
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which

means gratefulness or graciousness. By practicing gratitude, people
are able to express the things in life that they are thankful for—
whether they are tangible or intangible or stem from the past or
present.
According to Harvard Health, “in positive psychology research,

gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater
happiness.” A growing number of studies show a strong correlation
between being grateful and one’s overall happiness. But how
exactly does expressing gratitude make one happier?
Studies show being grateful releases feel-good chemicals in the brain. | Gian Cescon via Unsplash
How Does Gratitude Change the Brain?

The positive impacts of being thankful are far-reaching, especially
on the human brain.
Two researchers—Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of

California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University
of Miami—conducted a study in 2003 about the dimensions and
perspectives of gratitude.
Through their research, Emmons and McCullough have found that

people who expressed gratitude on a regular basis generally
reported higher levels of positive emotions and have a better
disposition in life. They also found that grateful people typically
express fewer “unpleasant emotions” like jealousy and anger.
Overall, grateful people tend to be more optimistic, express greater
satisfaction in life, and have lower levels of depression and stress.
But how is this possible? According to the Mindfulness Awareness

Research Center of UCLA, being grateful actually changes the
neural structures of the brain. When people express—or receive—
gratitude, their brain releases two feel-good chemicals: dopamine
and serotonin. The former is associated with happiness and the
latter helps to regulate one’s overall mood.
“Thanking others, thanking ourselves, Mother Nature, or the

Almighty—gratitude in any form can enlighten the mind and make
us feel happier. It has a healing effect on us,” psychiatric counselor
Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury wrote for Positive Psychology.
Chowdhury explains that feelings of gratitude correlate to an

increase in the neural modulation of the prefrontal cortex. This is
the part of the brain that is responsible for regulating negative
emotions. Thus, expressing thankfulness can help to regulate mood
and reduce feelings of fear, anxiety, and shame.
“These simple exchanges of thankfulness goes a long way in

affecting our overall biological functioning—especially the brain and
the nervous system,” she continued. “Besides enhancing self-love
and empathy, gratitude significantly impacts on body functions and
psychological conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression.”
How Does Gratitude Enhance Well-Being?

Feeling thankful yet? Well, you just might be after learning that
being grateful is also associated with a number of other physical
benefits.
Gratitude fundamentally impacts the brain, so it’s no surprise that

other areas of the body are impacted as well. A 2012 study
published in Personality and Individual Differences found that
grateful people generally experience less pain. Because being
thankful helps to reduce negative feelings and promote positive
ones, grateful people may also sleep better and improves the sleep-
wake cycle. This can be especially helpful to those suffering from
insomnia.
According to the American Psychological Association, giving thanks

also helps to promote a healthy heart. Studies show being grateful
may help to reduce cardiac risk and diseases.
And for those that struggle with feelings of inadequacy, gratitude

also helps to improve self-esteem. Because grateful people spend
their time appreciating themselves and others for their
accomplishments, they are not resentful of what others have. In this
way, gratitude helps to reduce social comparisons and aids in a
general contentedness about life.
How to Practice Gratitude
1. Regularly give thanks

In order to partake in all of the positive benefits of being thankful,
you have to first be grateful. Set aside time each day or week to
express what you are thankful for. You can express self-gratitude
by repeating a mantra to yourself or looking in the mirror and saying
out loud the things you appreciate about yourself and your life. You
can say something as simple as “I am blessed.” Or you can go into
more detail about something you’re specifically grateful for.
2. Keep a gratitude journal

Do you like to write? Express self-gratitude and thanks for your life
by setting aside time each week to jot down a few sentences of
what you are thankful for. Emmon’s and McCullough’s 2003
study found that people who regularly wrote down what they were
grateful for expressed greater optimism about their lives after just
two months. They were also 25 percent happier than those who
didn’t write about things that they were grateful for.
3. Express yourself
Don’t be afraid to tell others that you are grateful for them or
something that they have done. Write a handwritten thank-you note
or send a quick note of thanks via email. In his book entitled 365
Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My
Life, author John Kralik explains how writing a thank you note every
day for an entire year completely changed his life. At a time when
he was at his lowest—he was overweight, his law firm was failing,
and he was struggling through a second failed marriage—Kralik
was able to transform his perspective and his life by giving thanks.
At the end of the year, he lost weight, his business was prospering,
and he was in a better place with friends and family.
You can focus what you are grateful for while meditating. | Cottonbro via Pexels
4. Meditate
By meditating, you are able to be present and in the moment. What
better time to give thanks? Focus on something you’re grateful for
each time you meditate and spend your time thinking about how
thankful you are for that thing or person, etc.
5. Try a gratitude exercise

In addition to the aforementioned activities, there are many other
exercises you can do to promote being grateful. You can say a
prayer each day in which you give thanks after you wake up and
before you go to bed. Take a walk or spend time in nature. During
this time, you can spend time reflecting on the things in your life that
you are grateful for.
Will you spend more time practicing gratitude? Whether you choose
to write in a gratitude journal or send a letter to a friend expressing
thanks, you can easily reap all of the positive benefits that the act of
being grateful has to offer.
Thank you for reading. 🙂

TAGS
 GRATITUDE
 WORLD GRATITUDE DAY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Audrey Enjoli

STAFF WRITER | LOS ANGELES, CA Audrey writes about sustainability, food, and entertainment. She
has a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism and political science.

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What Are the Psychological

Self-care is essential, especially in today’s heavily polarized political

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which

According to Harvard Health, “in positive psychology research,

How Does Gratitude Change the Brain?

Two researchers—Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of

Through their research, Emmons and McCullough have found that

But how is this possible? According to the Mindfulness Awareness

“Thanking others, thanking ourselves, Mother Nature, or the

Chowdhury explains that feelings of gratitude correlate to an

“These simple exchanges of thankfulness goes a long way in

How Does Gratitude Enhance Well-Being?

Gratitude fundamentally impacts the brain, so it’s no surprise that

According to the American Psychological Association, giving thanks

And for those that struggle with feelings of inadequacy, gratitude

How to Practice Gratitude

1. Regularly give thanks

2. Keep a gratitude journal

5. Try a gratitude exercise

Thank you for reading. 🙂

 WORLD GRATITUDE DAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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