by Carol Hohle

Thanksgiving Day appears to own “gratitude” and that’s a shame. For many of us in the U.S. we tend to think about everything we are thankful for come mid-November (earlier if you live in Canada). But if we think about it for only a couple weeks a year we are missing out on the enormous benefits of gratitude. There have been dozens of studies showing the mental and physical benefits of gratitude.

Here’s a short list of some of the benefits studies have documented about gratitude:

  • makes us kinder and happier
  • increases and deepens friendships
  • improves productivity
  • makes us more optimistic and less self-centered
  • improves physical health
  • improves psychological health
  • enhances empathy and reduces aggression
  • improves self-esteem
  • increases mental strength

Keeping a gratitude journal is one of the most helpful and popular tools for maintaining an active gratitude practice. This can be as simple as pausing weekly for ten minutes to jot down 5 or 10 people, events, observations for which we are grateful. Some keep journals bedside and take a few minutes every night to note what they have been grateful for that day. Writing thank you notes is an extension of this practice.

Also, for many, gratitude is seen as a spiritual practice that enhances one’s sense of satisfaction. People who approach gratitude as a spiritual discipline often cultivate a greater awareness of the present moment and find themselves experiencing a more hopeful and awe inspired view of the world around them.

If you haven’t seen the video below from 2011 about Gratitude – a TEDxSF presentation by the amazing photographer Louie Schwartzberg – please watch it now. Watching it you’ll experience the profundity of gratitude – guaranteed! After viewing it you can learn more about Louie’s happiness project on his website, Gratitude Revealed.

Note: The Well is launching a Gratitude Group this fall. Beginning Tuesday, September 13, from 11-Noon we’ll gather once a month to write notes to policemen, teachers, mail carriers, grocery store baggers, any one we wish to thank.