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From Bob Irish, editor, Retirement Insider: His findings reveal a host of benefits for those who adopt an “attitude of gratitude”…
Including a 25% increase in happiness.
Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, is the leading researcher—and acknowledged scientific expert—on gratitude.
In his book, Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, he dispels the myth gratitude is just a simplistic emotion. He says:
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…gratitude is a deeper, more complex phenomenon that plays a critical role in human happiness. Gratitude is literally one of the few things that can measurably change peoples’ lives. |
According to Dr. Emmons, people who actively practice gratitude:
- Have stronger immune systems and are sick less frequently
- Exercise more and take better care of their health
- Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking
- Feel more alert, alive, and awake
- Experience more joy and pleasure
- Are more optimistic
- Are more forgiving and compassionate
- Feel less loneliness and isolation.
Why is the active practice of gratitude so effective? Dr. Rick Hanson tells us it has to do with the negativity bias of the brain:
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Our brains are like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones… it takes an active effort to internalize positive experiences and heal negative ones. When you tilt toward what’s positive, you’re actually righting a neurological imbalance. |
For most people, the best way to make that “active effort” is with some sort of gratitude ritual. I share my own “gratitude ritual” with all Retirement Insider readers, right here. And here are 22 free gratitude exercises anyone can explore.