STORY BYAs we approach our national day of thanksgiving, it seems fitting to reflect on some of what science has to say about gratitude, which has been called the “forgotten factor” in happiness research.
Psychologists Robert Emmons at the University of California at Davis, and Michael McCullough, at the University of Miami, are foremost researchers in field of gratitude. What they have learned so far is that gratitude is good for you, really good for you.
In an experimental comparison, people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). It doesn’t end there.
Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based). And there’s more. Young adults who practice a daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to the group that focused on hassles or thinking of how they were better off than others. The researchers keep adding to the list benefits that come from practicing gratitude.
Given all the benefits, how interesting it is that we designate only one day to giving thanks.
Researchers have found that when we think about someone or something we really appreciate and experience the feeling that goes with the thought, the parasympathetic—calming-branch of the autonomic nervous system— is triggered. This pattern when repeated bestows a protective effect on the heart. The electromagnetic heart patterns of volunteers tested become more coherent and ordered when they activate feelings of appreciation.
There is evidence that when we practice bringing attention to what we appreciate in our lives, more positive emotions emerge, leading to beneficial alterations in heart rate variability. This may not only relieve hypertension but reduce the risk of sudden death from coronary artery disease.
The more we pause to appreciate and show caring and compassion, the more order and coherence we experience internally. When our hearts are in an "internal coherence state," studies suggest that we enjoy the capacity to be peaceful and calm yet retain the ability to respond appropriately to stressful circumstances. (A Different Kind of Health: Finding Well-Being Despite Illness, by Blair Justice, pp. 100-101.)
Neurobiologically, gratitude is nested within the social emotions, along with awe, wonder, "elevation" and pride. It can be both practiced and experienced.
I got out of bed on two strong legs.
It might have been otherwise.
I ate cereal, sweet milk, ripe,
flawless peach.
It might have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill to the birch
wood.
All morning I did the work I love.At noon I lay down with my mate.
It might have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together at a table
with silver candlesticks.
It might have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed in a room with
paintings on the walls,
and planned another day just like
this day.
But one day, I know, it will be
otherwise.("Otherwise" by Jane Kenyon from
Otherwise: New and Selected
Poems , Graywolf Press)
An example of practicing gratitude is volunteering to help others in return for having been helped. As an experience, it is felt in the same frontal regions of the brain that are activated by awe, wonder and transcendence. From these cortical and limbic structures come dopamine and serotonin, the chemicals for feeling good inside.
Gratitude, then, can be a total body experience and beyond - meaning the deepest and widest gratitude comes from the soul and that part of the brain - the amygdala - that registers "soul" experiences.
So when we look at snow-capped peaks or golden swatches of changing aspen or the Milky Way at night from high in the Rockies, our souls sing and our bodies are suffused with streams of dopamine and serotonin, the gifts of gratitude. In short, feeling gratitude and appreciation on a regular basis helps heal us at every level of our being.
Sometimes the poets point the way to gratitude more than the scientists who can demonstrate its benefit. Jane Kenyon was a poet who understood appreciation. Much of her life, until she died of leukemia in 1998, she suffered from bipolar disease, with severe depression.
Her poem, Otherwise , reflects her wisdom in appreciating and giving thanks for the ordinariness of life that we often take for granted until it's taken from us. She must have been one of the exceptional healers this article describes.
Last Updated: 11-20-2005
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), the most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, is home to schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing and public health. UTHealth educates more healthcare professionals than any health-related institution in the State of Texas and features the nation’s seventh-largest medical school. It also includes a psychiatric hospital and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university’s primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. Founded in 1972, UTHealth’s 10,000-plus faculty, staff, students and residents are committed to delivering innovative solutions that create the best hope for a healthier future.
Editorial Board | Legal Disclaimer | Privacy & Security | Web File Viewing | Contact Us
© 2000-2010 Office of Institutional Advancement, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Follow us on:
Dr. Blair Justice is professor emeritus of psychology at The University of Texas School of Public Health and the author of several books. His wife, Dr. Rita Justice is a psychologist in private practice in Houston.
See Drs. Justice also at:
Simple Ways to Help
Young and Old Eyes
May is Healthy Vision Month and it is imperative to take care of eyes whether they’re young or old.
Children should have their vision checked by age 6, even if there aren’t any signs of eye problems. Healthy eyes and vision are very important to a child’s development. Finding and treating eye problems early on can save a child’s sight. Two common eye problems in children are:
Both of these eye problems can be treated if they are found early.
Here are ways to help your child develop vision skills:
Don’t let poor vision put elders at risk. Leave a three-foot, clear path through each room of their house. Outline edges of steps, coffee tables, doorways and bathtubs with colored tape to contrast with surrounding areas. Install lights along outdoor pathways and keep foyers well lit to avoid having to enter dark areas. Replace switch plates with colors that contrast with walls, or outline them with tape of contrasting colors. It is also always smart to use nightlights during the night.
