Mind-Body Benefits of Gratitude

Oct 4

You know you’re supposed to be grateful, but do you know why a gratitude practice is so transformative? Keep reading to find out the mind-body benefits of gratitude.

“In order for us to realize genuine happiness, we must be willing to court contentment every step of the way.”

— Sarah Ban Breathnach

Here’s what you’ll learn from this article:

The definition of gratitude.
How gratitude relates to happiness.
Proven mind + body benefits of gratitude.

Let’s get to it!

GRATITUDE 101

So, gratitude.

We’ll be totally honest with you...

The concept of gratitude has been a little over-played in recent times, and it’s certainly not the fix-all answer to every problem.

BUT it’s a powerful practice and we can’t blame people for wanting to sing its praises.

We have lots of thoughts about gratitude, but our most fundamental one is this:

Gratitude is the foundation for lasting, sustainable joy.

If you’re grateful now, you’ll be grateful when [insert X achievement here] happens.

If you’re not grateful now, you might experience a momentary boost of joy when X happens, but it’ll fade quickly.

Before we dig too far into this idea, let’s bring it back to the basics.

What is gratitude and what does it mean to be grateful?

gratitude | ‘gradǝ,t(y)ōōd | noun | the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

We love the bit about a “readiness to show appreciation.'' It makes us imagine ourselves on the edge of our seats on the lookout for things to jump up and be grateful for.

And although living in a constant state of gratitude isn’t a realistic goal for most of us, with practice, we can prime ourselves to keep gratitude at the ready.

GRATEFUL MIND, JOYFUL HEART

Now, back to that idea of gratitude being the foundation for sustainable joy.

If you were to ask everyone on the planet what they most want (beyond basic human needs—safety, food, shelter, water), nearly every answer would boil down to one thing:

Happiness.

Of course, the tangible answers would range from money to financial security to health to relationships and so on, but the underlying desired outcome from any of these would be the same.

We all want to be happy.

Such a simple desire and yet we seek to attain it in such complicated ways.

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re not going to sit here and spread shallow suggestions like, “Just be happy! Just think positive thoughts!” Seriously, what does that even mean?

BUT we will tell you that if you can find ways to feel more grateful, you’ll feel more joyful, too.

THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Let’s take a moment to breakdown the proven benefits of gratitude.

Mind

Gratitude rewires our brains and increases the release of dopamine and serotonin, activating the bliss center of the brain and creating feelings of happiness and contentment.

Better yet, research suggests that this process is self-perpetuating—with regular practice, the prefrontal cortex is trained to recognize and better appreciate positive experiences, both big and small.

Physical

A 2012 study showed that grateful people report less aches and pains and generally feel “healthier”.

Those who practice regular gratitude exercise more.

Gratitude journaling before bed has been shown to help people fall asleep, stay asleep, sleep longer (10% longer, in fact), and wake up more refreshed.

Studies have demonstrated a 10–15% reduction in blood pressure in those who regularly practice gratitude.

Interpersonal

Expressing gratitude has been shown to foster empathy and open us up to new friendships.

Those who regularly practice gratitude experience stronger, more positive relationships and report less feelings of loneliness and isolation.

*For more information, watch Robert Emmons summary of his gratitude research on over 1000 people ranging from 8 to 80 years old.

INTENTION

I am grateful for all that I have in this moment. I express appreciation daily.

DO THIS TODAY

Pause, close your eyes, and spend 1 minute thinking about something you’re grateful for in this moment. Fold your hands over your heart and really feel the gratitude radiating outward from your physical body.