As part of this week’s edition’s theme of kindness, one aspect that has seen scientific research is gratitude. Can gratitude offer more benefits than offering thanks to those around you? Read below to explore the science of gratitude.
Before beginning this exploration, it is essential to define gratitude. Gratitude is the emotion, primarily joyous, that arises when you acknowledge others in your life โ in particular, expressing thanks and voicing appreciation. For example, if someone offers you a pencil or holds open a door for you when your hands are full, and you are in a rush.
However, while gratitude is modestly well-known, there is another side of gratitude that is lesser known. As described by Philip Watkins, a professor of psychology at Eastern Washington University and the author of Gratitude and the Good Life, gratitude offers physical benefits that are equal, if not more fruitful, than the feeling itself.
Many studies explore the physical impacts of acts of gratitude like writing thank you letters or having a conversation with a loved one about what they mean to you. Beyond fostering healthy, communicative relationships and society, gratitude can also improve health. One study finds that expressing gratitude can reduce the effects of depression and anxiety while increasing self-confidence and self-worth. Additionally, some studies show that expressing gratitude can improve romantic, platonic, and professional relationships. Gratitude can go as far as enhancing sleep quality to creating a sense of affinity and warmth.
However, with so many benefits, how much gratitude is needed to reap the rewards? One expert, Joel Wong of Indiana University’s School of Education, explains, “I think the benefits of gratitude activities truly unfold through long-term habits.” So, to reap the benefits of gratitude, one can build it into one’s daily routine, like any habit. Some ways to do this could be to make it part of your first checking of emails or right before you go to bed. Other sources, like Gretchen Schmelzer, a psychologist in Philadelphia, believe gratitude worked into therapy sessions (so weekly to a few times a month) can be extremely useful in maintaining good mental health. Another way, according to the Journal of Happiness Studies, can be to write a letter expressing gratitude โ nothing lengthy, just a quick expression of thanks (of course, texts and email would also do the trick).
One caveat, Dr. Wong warns, is that it is crucial to be specific. If someone was expressing gratitude to you, would you rather hear “thanks,” or “thanks for helping at work while I wasn’t feeling well. It helped reduce my workload once I was feeling better?” Dr. Wong explains that specificity helps “because it deepens our experience of gratitude […] It intensifies our grateful emotions and thoughts.”
