Why Practicing Gratitude Is Good for Your Health

6 Things I’m Grateful for This Year

by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Gratitude

I remember hearing someone say we should celebrate love every day, not just once a year on Valentine’s Day. I feel the same way about gratitude. Although it’s great that, in the United States, the fourth Thursday of November is dedicated to giving thanks, I encourage you to show and feel appreciation every day of the year.

Counting your blessings is a time-honored way to flourish. It’s been part of almost every culture and spiritual practice, going back millennia. And science shows what the ancients knew intuitively—that grateful people are likely to be much happier and healthier than their pessimistic counterparts. For example, expressing gratitude enhances your energy levels and reduces stress. Plus, recognizing and appreciating life’s many blessings are some of the most powerful ways I know of to enhance your immune system, balance your hormones, and promote heart health.

How Practicing Gratitude Makes You Healthier, Smarter and More Energetic

Heart-centered feelings, like gratitude and appreciation, can bring about beneficial physiologic changes in your body in a very short amount of time. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and author of many studies and books on gratitude, including Gratitude Works! A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity. Through decades of research, he has found that people who practice gratitude daily report higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, and energy than those who don’t.

Emmons and fellow researcher Michael E. McCullough, director of the Evolution of Human Behavior Lab and professor of psychology at the University of Miami, created a protocol for studying gratitude, which they used to measure emotional, social, and physical well-being in participants. They divided their cohort into 3 groups and asked participants to make entries in a journal. Group 1 wrote the things they were grateful for; Group 2 wrote about hassles or irritants; and Group 3 reported on both positive and negative events or circumstances that affected them.

In the first study using this protocol, Emmons and McCullough followed nearly 200 healthy college students who made weekly entries in their journals (up to 5 entries each week). The individuals in Group 1, who focused on counting their blessings, felt better about their lives overall and were more optimistic about the upcoming week when compared to the other groups.

The study was repeated with: (1) another set of college students, who made daily entries for 2 weeks; (2) adults with neuromuscular disorders, who made daily entries for 3 weeks; and (3) adolescents (in 6th and 7th grade), who made daily entries for 2 weeks with a 3-week follow-up entry. (Jeffry Froh, Psych.D., professor at Hofstra University, was the lead researcher on the adolescent study.) Group 1 was the happiest and most optimistic in all 3 studies. In fact, researchers concluded that counting your blessings and expressing gratitude can increase happiness levels in adults by about 25 percent—or possibly more! (This wasn’t calculated for the adolescents.)

9 Side Effects of Practicing Gratitude

The studies also showed that a regular practice of gratitude produces some other beneficial “side effects.” They learned that regularly expressing gratitude may help you:

  1. Cultivate a better attitude. The middle school children who participated in the daily exercise of writing down the things they were grateful for showed higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy. They were also more likely to think about school and their family life favorably. Adults who regularly expressed gratitude also seemed to feel more optimistic and had higher levels of contentment and satisfaction in life.
  2. Reach personal and professional goals. Studies show that there is an increased likelihood of reaching your goals, including academic, personal, health-related, and relationship goals. Students who are grateful tend to have higher GPAs and have an easier time socially. In addition, employees who regularly hear words of gratitude from their managers may be motivated to work harder. In this respect, gratitude seems to make you smarter, more self-aware, healthier, and even more personable.
  3. Practice a healthy lifestyle. People with grateful dispositions are more likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and doing what they can to support their health.
  4. Connect with others. When you’re happy with your own life, you’re more likely to connect with others. The happiest people tend to have strong, complex social networks and are more likely to feel loved and cared for by others. These include not only family and friends but also connections of an altruistic and spiritual nature. Plus, I’ve often said that community equals immunity. Numerous studies have shown that the more social connections you have, the more robust your immune system is likely to be.
  5. Improve your relationships. Expressing gratitude for your partner or close family members can help you feel more satisfied in your relationships. Gratitude for a partner has been shown to help newlyweds adjust to marital life and to contribute to satisfying long-term marriages.
  6. Stop the fight-or-flight response. Feelings of appreciation and gratitude result in cardiac coherence—the beat to beat variability of your heart rate. The result is a more perfect balance between the sympathetic nervous system (the gas) and the parasympathetic nervous system (the brake). When these are in balance, your body stops overproducing cortisol and other stress hormones. Cardiac coherence has also been shown to increase the production of the hormone DHEA, which is a building block for all the other steroid hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and androgen.
  7. Sleep better. People who express gratitude before going to bed tend to sleep better. Researchers believe this is because grateful people tend not to worry as much or think negative thoughts and are more likely to think positive thoughts that support sleep quality.
  8. Create overall health. When your body is in a constant state of panic from stress or dragged down by negative emotions, you are more prone to headaches, muscle aches and pains, a weakened immune system, depression, and poor sleep. Long term, this unabated stress can create cellular inflammation, the root cause of all chronic health conditions, including heart disease. However, studies show that people who practice gratitude regularly have lower blood pressure, which may reduce the likelihood of sudden death from congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease.
  9. Bounce back from setbacks. An attitude of gratitude helps you become more resilient when confronted by life’s inevitable setbacks, big and small. Giving thanks when you feel stressed can even help prevent PTSD.

10 Easy Ways to Practice Gratitude Every Day

Practicing gratitude for as little as 15–20 seconds can lower stress hormones, increase the flow of oxygen to every cell of your body, and harmonize your heart’s rhythms with your body’s other systems. If all of this happens when you focus for just 15–20 seconds on something that brings you pleasure, joy, or a feeling of gratitude, imagine what would happen to your health—and our world—if you were able to cultivate and express gratitude and appreciation on a regular basis. That’s pretty powerful stuff.

Here are 10 ways you can cultivate gratitude every day:

  1. Say “thank you.” I remember years ago, my father said to me, “Gratitude is the first thing forgotten.” With the stress and intensity of today’s world, it’s easy to forget to say “thank you.” Because we are all connected, this has much farther-reaching implications than you might realize. But, imagine if 1,000 normally negative or critical people practiced gratitude and human-kindness for just one day. The ripple effect could touch hundreds of thousands of people and literally uplift countless individuals. So, try saying “thank you” to someone you appreciate, even if it’s for something very small. Do this often until it becomes a habit. You can also write thank-you notes. This can be in the form of a letter or a simple email or text. It will not only make you happier, it will nurture your relationship with the other person. I also like the idea of sending at least one gratitude letter a month—this can even be to yourself!
  2. List your blessings. Making a list is a great way to count your blessings and feel grateful. Start by making a list of all the people in your life for whom you are grateful, including family, friends, work colleagues, wait staff at your favorite restaurant, and close advisors. Let your list expand organically. As you begin to picture all of the people in your life, such as the person on the end of the customer support hotline or the stranger who smiled at you while you were at your favorite coffee shop, you may be amazed by how much help and support you have in your life. You can do the same exercise for the things you are grateful for that are easy to take for granted such as heat, electricity, and clean water. The more you notice the people and things you are grateful for, the more you’ll attract them.
  3. Start a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down whatever you feel grateful for each day, such as people in your life, a beautiful tree or just about anything. Remember, being grateful for the little things helps you cultivate a spirit of gratitude in your daily life.

  4. Appreciate yourself. Take a moment right now to look back and acknowledge everything you are and everything you do. Notice how far you’ve come since last year, last month, or even last week. Journaling is a great way to keep track of this kind of information. The point is to update your “self-appreciation circuits” regularly and genuinely.
  5. Create gratitude touchstones. Write your favorite memories or experiences on index cards, and keep them close at hand as gratitude touchstones. Your gratitude touchstones can be your spouse, your sleeping child, a beautiful place in nature, a favorite pet, an exciting trip, or even a special moment with a friend.
  6. Try a gratitude challenge. Several years ago, I participated in challenge where every day for an entire year I acknowledged and shared something I am grateful for. You can do this on social media, tell a friend, or simply write down what you are grateful for in your journal. Or, if you want another type of gratitude challenge, try to abstain from complaining for 24 hours!
  7. Give monetary and material offerings. In ancient cultures, the practice of tithing—giving 10 percent of your income to your place of worship—was standard practice. It was believed by many people that giving 10 percent of your income would increase your wealth tenfold. Today, giving monetary and material offerings to a source of inspiration or to those less fortunate is a tangible way to show gratitude. And, as the Law of Attraction would have it, it’s a great way to bring abundance to yourself as well. Choose organizations that inspire and uplift you and that you believe in.
  8. Have regular “rampages of appreciation.” Esther Hicks, who shares the teachings of “Abraham,” suggests having regular rampages of appreciation to elicit joy. I second that suggestion! Appreciation and gratitude are the best ways to turn around a bad mood in about 2 minutes.
  9. Pray. Prayers helps to cultivate gratitude. To make it even more powerful, you can use a gratitude prayer, or as Emmons suggests, pray for the ability to feel grateful.
  10. Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. When you meditate, try focusing on something you are grateful for now. This can be something that you are grateful for every day such as enough food to eat, your home, family and friends, or a big event, such as a promotion.

Six Things I’m Grateful for This Year

Despite the lockdowns and other restrictions erroneously placed on us this year, I have found 2020 to be one of personal expansion for which I am grateful. Here are some of the things I am grateful for this year:

  1. My global health community. The COVID crisis and public health authoritarian response to it inspired me to connect with health and freedom warriors all around the globe. I am grateful for these connections and to all who are rising up by the thousands to share the truth and create a better world.
  1. The courage to publicly tell the truth. I have challenged the system and stood up for medical empowerment my entire career. When COVID-19 was downgraded by the WHO in March 2020 to nothing more than a seasonal flu I knew I needed to speak out against the tyranny being perpetrated on humanity under the guise of a public health emergency. This has been no small feat. I am especially grateful to my younger self for having the courage way back when to keep going despite the world in general, and medicine in particular, not being ready to hear what I had to say.
  1. Being surrounded by nature. I am grateful that I can walk, hike, tend to my garden, put my bare feet on the earth, and breathe the wonderful negative ions near the water here in Maine. Our health and the health of the earth are inseparable, and I am grateful that I can participate in this mutually beneficial relationship every day.
  1. Having a local support system. There are hundreds of studies that show when people have satisfying relationships, they are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer. I am continually grateful for my friends, family, and colleagues who have never “social distanced” for even a second.
  1. Being held in compassion. So many friends and healers have held me in compassion as I have moved through the grief of losing the love of my life. For this I am grateful.
  1. Understanding the Great Awakening. What has been occurring in our world is more than just a pandemic. I am grateful for being able to understand the spiritual nature of what is happening and knowing that everything will work out beautifully— in spite of all of it.

Gratitude leads to joy. When you count your blessings on a regular basis, they will multiply many, many times over. In addition, opening your heart to those less fortunate creates joy and blessings in the world, and the likelihood that those you express gratitude towards will pay it forward.

Do you have a regular gratitude practice? If so, what changes have you noticed in your life?

Last Updated: December 1, 2020

Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Christiane Northrup, M.D., is a visionary pioneer and a leading authority in the field of women’s health and wellness. Recognizing the unity of body, mind, and spirit, she empowers women to trust their inner wisdom, their connection with Source, and their ability to truly flourish.

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  1. Jane Hallstrom
    3 years ago

    96 year old Russell M. Nelson, cardiologist and former heart surgeon and inventor of the heart lung machine which made open heart surgery possible, is the president of the world wide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Leading up to Thanksgiving he “prescribed” flooding social media with expressions of gratitude as a cure for the contention and fear gripping the world. Here’s a link to his address:

    https://youtu.be/i51gcWCs-Ho

    I did find this report on the WHO website dated March 3, 2020:

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, has declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic.Mar 19, 2020

  2. Deloris
    3 years ago

    I thank God for directing me to your page. It has been uplifting and thought provoking. It was just what I needed in a time of uncertainty. We are all a part of one body. When we love and appreciate one another what a wonderful world this becomes. I pray every day that the world experiences more love and shows more gratitude. The attitude of gratitude should be the mantra that we all commit to everyday. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom in a time of great uncertainty.

  3. Sylvia
    3 years ago

    Merci Dr Northrop for all you have done
    You are my hero
    May you keep your shining shield held high for all to see !!
    Hugs
    Sylvia

  4. Rachel Dal Santo
    3 years ago

    Hi Christianne, I’ve been concerned for your well being ever since your interviews went viral and so many people wanted to damage you. I believe everything you say. Stay safe brave lady, we need you.
    God bless you and all you do.
    Rachel

  5. Lilianna Gershenovich
    3 years ago

    Thank you Dr. Christiane Northrup for taking your time to bring the planet your daily Great Awakening. Thank you for Breaking the Matrix. Thank you for being a Midwife for the New Earth. Thank you for being a Shining Beacon of Light. I am honor to be in your company of the Warriors of the Radical Light.

  6. Kathleen Fay Frances
    3 years ago

    Christianne, I so very much appreciate you and your common sense honesty. If it wasn’t for people like you I would be a fish out of water. Because of your desire for truth relating to humanness I have been able to connect to many other morality seekers around the globe. I am enriched, encouraged and feel a sense of unity and safety. I’m happy to be living in this time and keeping my frequency high along with so many others like you.

  7. Liliana
    3 years ago

    Dr. Northrup,

    Thank you so much for this! I started a Gratitude Journal and want to keep it as part of my morning routine. I would love to start a gratitude challenge with my family.

    Best wishes for you and your loved ones,

    Liliana

  8. Anne C Crawford
    3 years ago

    As a career transition coach I recommend strongly that my clients write in a gratitude journal everyday. When one loses their job, or is in a constant state of unhappiness due to not enjoying their career it can cause depression and a lack of self esteem. It is like a heavy blanket that wraps itself around their soul and weighs on their mind, and body until they almost give up. Gratitude is like a sunny day. As you practice it, it lifts the clouds away and gives you clarity on what is most important in your life. Balance and reflection take center stage and you become happier and more focused on your inner core values. I find the smaller things in life really help me. My car starting so I can go see a client, a small flower that emerges out of nowhere to remind me of the strength I have and even being present with life so I can build awareness that my loved ones around me are sending their signs to me. Gratitude is one of the most powerful healing practices, and the best thing is , it is FREE.

  9. Linda
    3 years ago

    Dr.Northrup, thank you so much for this! Gratitude completely transformed me in what became the darkest year of my life. After I crawled out of that dark hole, thanks to the power of gratitude, I wrote a little pamphlet on gratitude’s power (free to all: https://lindahamptonsmith.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/thejar-1.pdf ) and gifted it to friends and family.

    Practicing gratitude has become, bar none, my most revolutionary healing tool. It keeps me, unfailingly, in the embrace and gorgeousness, whether that be tearful or joyful…. of the present moment.

  10. Josie
    3 years ago

    Christiane… I don’t understand your comment… “I am continually grateful for my friends, family, and colleagues who have never “social distanced” for even a second. “. Does this mean you don’t believe it is important to follow the protocols of protecting ourselves?

    1. Chris
      3 years ago

      Josie, my guess is that Dr. N is saying that her network of close people are staying close on emotional, relational levels, communication and support levels. So, not “socially” distancing…however I am pretty sure they are following all of the rules in terms of masks and physical distance (physically distancing), as Dr. N has already acknowledged elsewhere in her post that she thinks the virus is significant, and took it seriously from the start.

    2. Linda Bettinger
      3 years ago

      This statement troubled me as well. I think it is important to try to slow this virus down so that hospitals are not overwhelmed. I have a friend who has died and two friends who have contracted the virus along with their families so I feel it is important to avoid it if at all possible. I don’t feel that this is some big global government conspiracy to control our behavior. I think it is a public health issue. One thing that particularly bothers me, however, is that with all the warnings they put out they do not outline things that people can do to boost their immune systems: exercise, eat healthy food, get good sleep, meditate, get outside in the sun, and develop gratitude and a positive mental attitude. These are all things you advocate for. These are things that I am trusting will keep me healthy. However, I still social distance and wear a mask.

  11. Cindy
    3 years ago

    Thank you Dr. Northrup. You always uplift my spirts with your inspiring wisdom. The universe is working in our favor.

  12. HOLLY BYERS
    3 years ago

    Hello Christiane! I miss your daily wisdom of Warriors of the Radical Light. Is there a platform on social media where I CAN reconnect with you. It served as my nightly prayer of Gratitude. You are BRILLIANT & BRAVE in risking & bringing us the Truth. My Eternal Profound Thanks.
    -Holly Byers

  13. Linda
    5 years ago

    Dr. Northrup, Thank you!

    Practicing gratitude is the game-changer. In the worst, absolutely worst time of my life – I started practicing gratitude and was so blown away by this newfound power to change EVERYTHING — that I wrote about it in a miniature book. I printed up a bunch and gave them as gifts to friends, along with a gratutude jar filled with emply little notes and a pen. It was the most appreciated gift I have ever given!

  14. Elizabeth L. Strzok
    5 years ago

    Thank you! I just made a note to get a gratitude journal and keep it by my bed to enter the things I am so grateful for each day, starting with the New Year! I will do it before then as well.
    Great reminder! Might even give gratitude journeys as holiday presents! Hand made, with a note of much love and gratitude to the recipient and a list of ways and things to be grateful for! Merci!

  15. Trish Ryan
    5 years ago

    I just finished listening to Dodging Energy Vampires and am now reading The Wisdom of Menopause. Wow! Thank you so much for the insight and wisdom. My role as an old soul empath is clear and you have given me the tools for true joy and love. I am looking forward to meeting you at the Women’s Summit in March! If you are ever in San Diego, please get in touch.
    Thank you again. Blessings…

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      HI Trish, Thank you SO much for this comment. Just made my day!

  16. Maria
    5 years ago

    Thank you dr. Northrup for giving your time and so many useful pieces of advise to us. As a woman brought up in a conservative surrounding I was suffering much unnecessary pain and you ‘ve helped me a lot to uplift my soul. I hope the same’s happened to many other women, probably also to men. Thank you once more and have a great time in the coming up holidays.
    Maria

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      Lovely. I’m so happy about this. Thank you.

  17. Jennifer Harper
    5 years ago

    Thank you for this blog on appreciation! I’ve been “following” you since 2003, and the things I’ve learned from you and put into practice have improved my life immeasurably. Thank you for that, too!

    My one and only 2018 New Year’s resolution was to write in a gratitude journal every evening before bed for the duration of this year. To get in the habit I set a reminder alarm in my phone to go off each evening, ending on December 31, 2018. The reminder says, “Write five things I appreciate about this day, one of which is about myself.” I have not missed a single entry, though there were times I seriously considered scrapping the whole thing. One evening last winter when I was in an especially foul mood, I wrote in my journal that I was thankful I only had to write five things each evening, and now there were just four left. I caught myself laughing at myself, and that made it easier to write the remaining four.

    This morning I realized how special this nightly ritual has become to me, and that I don’t want it to end this year on New Year’s Eve. I am continuing my gratitude journal into 2019.

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      Oh I just LOVE this idea. In 2016, I committed to a daily gratitude video on instagram. It changed my life. And now, everywhere I look, I find things to be grateful for. Your practice here is perfect for everyone!!

  18. Pauline Okeyo
    5 years ago

    Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful message.I have been doing gratitude journal since May this year.My Life has changed completely. I am happy like I used to be when I was child and My relationship with my inner child has taken an amazing turn. The communication eighmy body has improved in away like that of Identical twins.Gratitude practice has helped me create healthy boundaries and learn to forgive and concentrate on being happy.Some things which used to annoy me before makes me Lough nowadays. I find myself being grateful for any negatives as I get to work on them and see them as situations which has nothing to do or interfere with me or my uniqueness. Writing on my gratitude journal and nf reading ithas become natural part of my daily ritual. I wish to find the Words which would help me describe how this process has made me come back to my self.All in all I am greateful to be alive.

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      There IS something very special about remembering who we really are. And for most of us, I ‘m certain that our unlimited true nature is LOVE. And gratitude helps us remember this. Thank you.

  19. Susan Doughty
    5 years ago

    I’m grateful for all the years you mentored me in my women’s health nurse practitioner practice with you at Women to Women, Christiane. You believed in me moving from the “Upper Heart” to the “Lower Heart” all those years ago. I wonder who I would be if I had not come to work with you! Thank you for all you’ve been to me in my life!

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      Dear Susan, This so warms my heart. I bow to your willingness to step into this way of being so long ago. And for spreading it to so many others through your wonderful work.

  20. Mary Anne M Johnson
    5 years ago

    Thank you! This is a well-written and important guide to practicing gratitude. As an educator, I also appreciate the fact that it follows the form of a good lesson plan: Define or introduce the topic, state your thesis and give EXAMPLES, and finally list HOW to put the lesson into practice. That last step is particularly important, otherwise many of us are left knowing that it’s good to practice gratitude but not having an idea of concrete ways to practice gratitude in our own lives. I have never liked grading, but this one gets an A+!

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      I feel so GOOD reading this!! Like I just got a gold star from a great teacher. THANK YOU!!

  21. Laura
    5 years ago

    Thank you. I love your path. It’s been mine too. I’ve followed your practice for a long time.

  22. Else Ireland
    5 years ago

    I am so grateful for you, and your amazing insights. Wonderful role model for a 76 year young, woman. Shine on!

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      Isn’t it true? The older you get, the younger you feel!!

  23. Linda
    5 years ago

    Thank you! I believe in this, gratitude and sharing love. Inward and Outward
    When life becomes bumpy or filled with a bit more stress, I think I forget this wonderful way to live.
    Thank you for the reminder, I will pay it forward to day :).

    With appreciation and gratitude,
    Linda

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      I believe we ALL need reminders– including me. So thank you… just reading your comment reinforces me to practice what I preach!

  24. Elfriede Harth
    5 years ago

    Thank you! Reading this is one of my greatest blessings today!

    1. Christiane
      5 years ago

      And reading this, is a blessing for me today!

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