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The benefits of gratitude

“Without gratitude, there is suffering.” Think about that for a minute.

I recently read that quote from the Buddhist tradition and it made me curious. In researching the topic of gratitude for this newsletter, I started with the definition of gratitude which is being thankful; warm and deeply grateful for kindness or benefits received.

Did you know that there is a branch of psychology called Positive Psychology? There are researchers and scientists at most major universities from California to Miami studying, researching, and documenting the benefits of being positive, including gratitude. According to the University of Pennsylvania, “Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that allow individuals and communities to thrive.”

Dr. Robert Emmons studies gratitude for a living as a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. His research studies have shown that a gratitude practice over a period of weeks has a positive effect on sleep and time spent exercising, more optimistic expectations for the coming week, and fewer reported physical symptoms, such as pain. In addition, his team observed an increase in reported connection with other people and in the likelihood of helping another person deal with a personal problem.

Professor Emmons states that “most outcomes are self-reported, but there is increasing emphasis on measuring objective data such as cortisol and stress levels, heart rate variability and even patterns of brain activation. The work by Richard Davidson is exemplary in that sense”. respect, showing how a mindfulness practice can reconfigure some activation patterns in the frontal lobes”.

You are now invited to join the front ranks of people who have already reduced their stress levels and improved the quality of their lives and incorporate one or more of the following gratitude practices into their day:

– Write in a Gratitude Journal (or notebook) every day. Write down everything you are grateful for that day or something you forgot to write down the day before.

– Say prayers of thanks when you wake up, before you go to sleep, or in the shower or bath.

– At the dinner table with your family, partner, roommate or friend share what each one is grateful for.

– Create a ritual with your spouse or partner where just before falling asleep you share what you found beautiful that day.

– Invent a practice of your own.

In a spirit of gratitude, thank you for caring enough about the well-being of yourself and your loved ones to create a daily gratitude practice starting today, if you don’t already have one. Spread the word and tell others about the benefits of a daily gratitude practice. Enjoy being thankful!