8 Mind-Blowing Health Benefits of Gratitude We’re Thankful For
Living with gratitude is a straight-up life hack.
Teaching our kids to say “thank you” is Motherhood 101. It’s right up there with “please,” “excuse me,” and the motherly mandate to always wear clean underwear when you leave the house. Saying thanks is what our own mamas taught us when we were small, though it’s unlikely that they would have known what research has now uncovered. Gratitude is more than politeness. It’s something of a superpower released with simple words and gestures, generous thoughts, and prayers of thanksgiving. We now know that grateful people reap significant benefits across almost every aspect of life.
It seems too simple. But science has revealed that thankful living can improve a person’s health, mentally and physically, their relationships, stress levels, ability to cope, and overcome, even adding to longevity. It increases the instinct to care for others, and not so surprisingly, can help us grow in our faith.
We gather this week to thank God for His many blessings and goodness to our families, our communities, and our country, with turkey and stuffing if you’re in the north, or dressing if you’re south of the Mason-Dixon line. Then there’s gravy (something we can all agree on). It’s a uniquely American day for feasting, family, and gratitude. Still, evidence is mounting that one day per year focused on thanks, just isn’t enough.
Thanksgiving as part of our daily routine is a win all the way around. Here are eight enormous benefits to practicing gratitude as an everyday rhythm.
Boosted Brain Power and Mental Health
 Only a few decades ago, the scientific community held that the human brain didn’t change after childhood. Once fully developed, it was believed that the brain functioned at a set level and, despite education and other factors, didn’t change at all, except with age.
That theory was blown out of the water by revolutionary discoveries in neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change and develop), which, though hypothesized earlier, became evident in the 80s and 90s. It turns out that learning, along with repeated words, thoughts, or actions, will eventually develop new neural pathways throughout a person’s life. These new pathways can dramatically change their outlook, alter the brain, and ultimately lead to a better life.
However, neural pathways can also develop in the other direction. Dark or negative thoughts, speech, and actions can create harmful pathways that will diminish happiness, health, and future potential.
Viewing the world with a grateful attitude and acting with intention, through practices like using a gratitude journal, praying, and making daily lists of 1, 3, or 10 things to be sincerely thankful for, can displace a measure of sadness, stress, and worry. It builds those positive neural pathways, almost miraculously changing your brain!
Gratitude has been shown to release neurotransmitters, too, Â giving us goodies like serotonin and dopamine, while simultaneously lowering that troublemaking stress hormone, cortisol.
Thankful living can help build a mental framework and a “glass half full” mentality that may not fully “cure” depression, but has been shown to help individuals better cope with dark seasons or when they feel the “blues.” In fact, an analysis of 70 studies showed that practicing gratitude resulted in lower levels of depression among more than 25,000 individuals.1
Better Cardiovascular Health
 Beyond the brain, it may be surprising to learn that a lifestyle of gratitude can improve your health in other ways. Specifically, the all-important cardiovascular system. The benefits are a boon for the health-conscious, as living thankfully each day actually increases longevity. Take that, kale!
Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and reduce inflammation. Added health benefits include increased healthy behaviors, such as exercise and better food choices. Grateful people also experience the release of oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” All that from saying thanks – and meaning it!
Richer Relationships
Speaking of love and gratitude – is anyone surprised? They help people develop and maintain better relationships. Speaking sincerely and appreciatively to a spouse, a child, or a significant other is a way of connecting that is deeply personal – and often vulnerable. It builds trust and compassion. It encourages mutual gratitude and greater satisfaction in relationships.
A 2012 study found that those who “practiced gratitude” showed a shift in their temperament and felt less aggressive. Another study showed that writing thank-you notes increased “happiness” among the subjects and led to decreased symptoms of depression in more than a quarter of the participants.2
Improved Immunity
 The baddie we mentioned earlier, the stress hormone cortisol, can suppress immunity, so naturally, a decrease in that troublesome force can help perk up the body’s security guard – the immune system. As we mentioned earlier, grateful living also reduces inflammation and affects positive immune markers by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms things down. Calm sounds good to me.
Better Sleep
Americans aren’t getting enough sleep anymore. We’re sleeping less and stressing more. We know that sleep helps our cognitive performance, mood, heart health, and even weight management. Still, roughly 84 million of our friends and neighbors aren’t getting adequate zzzs. Are you among that number?
When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, practicing gratitude can help shift things in the right direction. Thinking, journaling, or speaking the things we are thankful for promotes relaxation and helps us unplug from the pressures of the day. Turning away from the to-do list or the unfinished report toward positive thoughts of gratitude has a calming effect on our bodies, minds, and moods. We sleep better, so the next day is better.
 Builds Resilience
 When we are thankful, even amid challenging times, we are teaching ourselves to focus on positivity more than the struggles we face. Then, as we instill the value of living with gratitude in our children, they become strong and resilient, able to draw beauty from life and stand on the hope of what’s to come. They learn to thank God and others, which will foster quality relationships and could even help in career settings.
 We mentioned longevity earlier. My grandfather lived well to 102. He was from the deep South, drank coffee daily, ate the regular Southern fare – biscuits, bacon, fried oysters (he lived near the coast), and vegetables cooked for hours. Grandaddy saw the Great Depression, two World Wars, and even beat cancer in his early 90s. Yet, he lived with gratitude, empathy for others, and kindness. He knew how to process challenging circumstances and live with gratitude for all he’d experienced. Maybe his life hints at the link between gratitude, resilience, and longevity.
Reduces Stress
Nearly half of Americans suffer from stress, as self-reported in a recent poll. Likewise, anxiety’s up, and some of our fellow citizens are almost unable to function with normalcy, completing the daily tasks in life. It’s an epidemic. Social media and online activity surely haven’t helped these phenomena, but embracing gratitude might.
There are the physical benefits mentioned earlier, like calming the nervous system and improving sleep, as well as the feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine that come with a thankful lifestyle. Added to that, there’s the effect on the hierarchy of thought. Recognizing one’s blessings naturally shifts the focus away from troubled thinking, at least for a time, and this shift can deepen with a regular emphasis on thankful thoughts.
Relationships improve because who doesn’t want to be around someone who is always thankful for something? These positive habits can also boost self-esteem.
Strengthens Faith
My pastor says this a lot: “Feed your faith and you’ll starve your doubts to death!” It’s a cute saying (shout out to Pastor Mark). Recognizing the many things we can thank God for – even in the tough moments also feeds your faith. It can strengthen your body, mind, and spirit.
Gratitude can starve the negative thoughts and faith-depleting stresses while reminding us of the blessings all around us. It helps us turn our focus to God, who is the author of all good things. I’m grateful that Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
And, don’t forget Paul, who wrote, while in prison, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (emphasis mine) (Philippians 4:6-7) Talk about an example of gratitude and faith!
As we gather our families to reflect on our many blessings in this great land, the richness of our family and table, we thank God. Here at Moms for America, we are especially thankful for each and every one of you, and wish you a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving.
Podcast Note: Ken and Linda Koldenhoven are experts on how to turn your dinner table into a place for meaningful, engaging family time. We learned some creative ideas for infusing faith and fun into mealtimes. Their book, Connecting Around the Table: Discover the Power of Eating Together as a Family, includes recipes, conversation starters, and faith-filled ideas you can use. Don’t miss this podcast!
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