A man clasps his hands and prays alone.

A man clasps his hands and prays alone.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there’s no better time of year to be thankful. With all of the negativity surrounding each of us these days, it’s more important than ever to give thanks, and who knew that being thankful was good for you! Studies have found that being thankful can have extremely potent positive effects on our health. More research and understanding is needed to fully understand how something as simple as thankfulness can be so healthful, but here’s what we know so far.

A Healthier Heart

In a recent study, researchers found that higher gratitude scores were linked to higher sleep quality a better mood and less inflammation in people with heart damage. Patients that kept gratitude daily journals for eight weeks showed marked improvement in their overall cardiovascular health.

Better Sleep

If you’re having difficulty sleeping; before bed, writing down a few things you are thankful for can help. A study of college students who struggled to fall asleep found that if they spent fifteen minutes in the evening writing about a recent positive event, were able to calm their minds and sleep better.

Makes you more Positive

In 2003, researchers divided a group of adults into three groups and had 1/3 write what they were grateful for, a 1/3 were to write about hassles, and a 1/3 were to write about neutral things that happened to them. After a few weeks, researchers found that the group that wrote about things they were grateful for were more optimistic and reported feeling better about themselves. They even exercised more than the group that wrote about things that irritated them. “Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits,” the study authors write.

Making Friends

Who knew that gratitude can help you to make new friends? In a 2014 study published in the journal Emotion, researchers had 70 college students think they were mentoring a high schooler by sending comments on a college admissions essay. The college students then received a note from their mentee that either expressed gratitude or did not. The college students who were thanked by the high schooler were more likely to rate them as having a warmer personality and more likely to provide the younger student with their personal information, like an email address.

Physical Health

An analysis of nearly 1,000 Swiss adults published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that the people who felt more gracious had a notable willingness to partake in healthy behaviors and seek help for any health-related concerns. Other research has suggested that people who are grateful are more likely to do physical activity.

So this Thanksgiving, take a few moments and be grateful, you’ll be glad that you did.

Sources

http://time.com/

http://www.happify.com/

http://www.thechangeblog.com/

The information found on the Gerstenberger Law site is for educational purposes only.  Your situation and the situation of others is unique and more complex.  This is neither legal advice nor to be considered legal advice.  Contact us for advice about your specific situation

 

 

 

 

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