Grateful for Gratitude Research

Our national mood is becoming more anti-science; nonetheless, let’s be thankful for “gratitude research” conducted and supported by American universities.

Here’s a quick summary:

Prof. Robert Emmons (Univ. of California-Davis) has found these health benefits in people who are consciously thankful— a 23% reduction in the stress hormone cortisol and a 7% reduction in biomarkers of inflammation in patients with congestive heart failure.

Prof. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, found that when people were assigned to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores.

Researchers at the Wharton School of Business have found that managers who remember to say “thank you” motivate people to work harder for them.

Another study finds that conscious gratitude reduces depression and blood pressure, and improves sleep quality for people chronic pain and insomnia.

Another study found that 88% of suicidal patients reported feeling less hopeless after writing a letter of gratitude.

I now quote from “In Praise of Gratutude,” published online by Harvard Health Publications:

Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.

Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person's impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.

Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.

Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you've received each day.

Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.

Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.

Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as "peace"), it is also possible to focus on what you're grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).

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Thanks for reading this post! Hopefully, we're both better for it.