What separates gratitude from thankfulness is intention, therapistJoree Rose, LMFT, adds.
Gratitude “is aqualityof thankfulness,” she says.
So what happens when you do something about it?
Gratitude can help relieve stress.
Practicing gratitude has been shown to improve emotional regulation, a key component of managing stress.
Gratitude can make you feel more positive emotions.
What that means practically?
Gratitude can help you calm down in tough moments.
All those feel-good chemicals we just mentioned?
They’re also good for your emotional state.
Gratitude strengthens your social relationships.
Unfortunately, this can drive a wedge between you and a friend or loved one.
But Rose says the more you focus on the good in your relationships, the more you’ll find.
Gratitude might help you understand others better.
Taken together, these findings suggest that gratitude may be connected to a better ability to understand others.
Gratitude might make you physically healthier.
Research shows that the more grateful you are, the healthier you feel.
A2013 study3published in the journalPersonality and Individual Differencesfound more grateful people were more likely to report better physical health.
Gratitude can help you sleep better.
Instead of counting sheep, considering counting your blessings.
Gratitude makes you less materialistic.
Gratitude in young people has also been found to be correlated withless envy of others6.
Gratitude helps you recognize how much you have.
Let’s say finances are tight.
Someone who dwells on the negative would probably harp on their bank account collecting dust.
Connie L. Habash, LFMT, tells mbg.
Gratitude puts you at a lower risk of depression.
Gratitude promotes higher self-esteem.
Gratitude promotes a more positive outlook on life.
That same energy is rarely displayed in times of celebration or positivity.
Gratitude can help you cope through emotional trauma.
Gratitude might teach your brain to make altruism more rewarding.
Then the researchers had people pick up gratitude journaling.
Through practicing gratitude, could people become more generous?
“Christina Karns, Ph.D., the neuroscientist behind the study, wrote in aWashington Postessayexploring her findings.
“Practicing gratitude shifted the value of giving in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
It changed the exchange rate in the brain.
Giving to charity became more valuable than receiving money yourself.”
Neurologically speaking, the effects of gratitude might grow over time.
That suggests a three-week gratitude practice wasstillaffecting people’s brains nearly three months after they’d started it.
