Gratitude: Why Bother? Studies Tell the Story

Previously I wrote about a practice I had started, listing 5 things each day that I'm thankful for. It has radically altered my life and changed my heart in ways that I couldn't have imagined; my outlook on life has become more positive, and I've become more loving, giving and understanding of others.

For those of you out there that are "practical pragmatists," I found studies that highlight the benefits of people who are grateful and how much more they get out of life.

But first, a few quotes:

"The best kind of giving is thanksgiving."--Chesterton

"Ingratitude is the essence of vileness."--Kant

"Give thanks in all things..."--The Bible

"A noble person is mindful and thankful of the favors he receives from others."--the Buddha

Why it pays to be grateful:
" Consider that recent academic studies have shown:

• People who describe themselves as feeling grateful to others and either to God or to creation in general tend to have higher vitality and more optimism, suffer less stress, and experience fewer episodes of clinical depression than the population as a whole. These results hold even when researchers factor out such things as age, health, and income, equalizing for the fact that the young, the well-to-do, or the hale and hearty might have "more to be grateful for."
  
• Grateful people tend to be less materialistic than the population as a whole and to suffer less anxiety about status or the accumulation of possessions. Partly because of this, they are more likely to describe themselves as happy or satisfied in life.
  
• In an experiment with college students, those who kept a "gratitude journal," a weekly record of things they should feel grateful for, achieved better physical health, were more optimistic, exercised more regularly, and described themselves as happier than a control group of students who kept no journals but had the same overall measures of health, optimism, and exercise when the experiment began. (Researchers use frequency of exercise as a barometer for general well-being because it is an objective measure that links to subjective qualities; people who exercise three or more times per week tend to have better indicators of well-being, even when health conditions that affect the ability to exercise are factored out.)
  
• Grateful people are more spiritually aware and more likely to appreciate the interconnectedness of all life, regardless of whether they belong to specific religions."

[I got this from the article, "Rx for Life: Gratitude (Why every day should be a day of thanksgiving)" by Gregg Easterbrook, found on www.beliefnet.com.] Check it out if you get a chance.

So, you see, it pays to be grateful--literally! I'm glad that the world of mainstream psychology and people in general are beginning to see the wonderful benefits of "giving thanks daily" or being grateful in your own way.

Here is an article about being grateful you might find interesting:

Rx for Life: Gratitude
www.beliefnet.com/story/51/story_5111.html

Gratitude Attitude Works Wonders

I call it "5 I'M T4." What it is: every day I spend just a few minutes writing out 5 things I'm thankful for. Now, it doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering. The key is just to get into the habit of doing it--in order to generate the attitude of THANKSGIVING in your heart.

I know it sounds weird, but little else has helped me with my attitude to this extent. Not affirmations, positive books or much else.

I've been doing it now (again) for almost a month. Every time I stop, then start, I'm literally amazed at what a difference it makes in my life.

Here's what happens with me:

• I have a better outlook on life, when my nature is to be sceptical and cynical.
• I am more open to receiving good things or blessings, from both people and in circumstances.
• I expect good things to happen and they just "naturally" work out.
• I am more positive and confident.
• I am less focused on my insecurities and more interested in helping others.

I encourage you to give it a whirl. Try it for three weeks, on weekdays (give yourself a break on the weekends so you look forward to it). That way you'll establish a habit that may radically change your life for the best!