Worried about the negative health effects of stuffing yourself with turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving? You might want to keep in mind that a smorgasbord of research shows that giving thanks may counteract the dietary downsides of the holiday and actually promotes good health.
Dozens of studies have found that gratitude can improve well-being, help curb depression and anxiety, improve cholesterol, and even contribute to better sleep.
Robert Emmons — a psychologist at the University of California-Davis and author of "Gratitude Works! A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity" — tells the
Live Science Website
He adds: "Grateful people engage in more exercise, have better dietary behaviors, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of medication adherence.”
Many studies have shown that grateful people tend to be happier overall, says Phillip Watkins, a psychologist at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.
"When you look at personality traits or virtues that correlate most strongly with people's happiness, gratitude is always up there within the top three, if not the top one," Watkins tells Live Science.
Other research linking gratitude and health:
- A 2013 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found people who showed more gratitude fell asleep more easily — likely in part because they were consumed with fewer negative thoughts, and more pleasant thoughts as they drifted off at night.
- People who report more gratitude also show better cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and have a lower lifetime risk of depression and anxiety.
- Several studies have demonstrated that people who were asked to write down three good things that happened each day over the course of a week reported feeling happier. People who wrote a thank-you note to someone positive in their lives got a happiness boost as well.
"It is helpful to remember that it's not really about feelings," Emmons said. "Gratitude is a choice. We can choose to be grateful even when our emotions are steeped in hurt and resentment, or we would prefer our current life circumstances to be different."
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