Gratitude is good for you

Counting your blessings isn't just a nice thing your elders probably advised you to do. It's also a key practice for both mental and physical health.

Robert Emmons, a researcher at University of California, Davis, and the editor in chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology, has studied the effects of gratitude for decades. His work has repeatedly confirmed that a regular practice of expressing gratitude has such wide-ranging effects as strengthening the immune system, lowering blood pressure, and improving mood and social satisfaction.

What exactly is this all-powerful thing, gratitude? This complex feeling triggers the areas of your brain dealing with moral cognition, reward, and emotion. It can be induced by something as simple as expressing thanks for a gift, or as deep as appreciating the state of your life and the good fortune that brought you to this stage.

If you don't feel overwhelming gratitude for the state of your life, well, that's common: Human thinking has a "negativity bias." And that's why gratitude is typically referred to as a practice. It can take effort to get into a mindset where you see the positive aspects of life. But the good news, according to Emmons, is that the psychological benefits of a daily gratitude practice can be felt in as little as three weeks.

The most accessible way to establish a gratitude practice is to set aside a few minutes each day to identify a few things you're grateful for - write a list in a journal or in the notes app on your phone, or just make a mental list on your morning walk. It helps to think of sources of goodness, advises Emmon, whether it's nature (gorgeous weather, cute dogs), other people (the store owner who knows your coffee order), or a higher power or other circumstances beyond your control.

And although gratitude is very much about establishing a positive mindset, Emmons does not recommend avoiding negative issues in your life completely. In fact, he advises, looking back on negative aspects of your life can help illuminate how your life has improved, and spark that gratitude - for your own efforts, or the support of others, or whatever other factors got you to this improved state.

Gratitude is not just for your social life and your personal relationships, but for your workplace as well. A study of 79 nurses, for instance, showed that expressions of gratitude improved job satisfaction as well as broader health and safety outcomes. So if you're in a position to give positive feedback and recognition to your coworkers, get in the habit of sharing it - to improve everyone's day at work. (And while you're at it, thank the guy for knowing your coffee order!)

Workday or weekend, there's always something to be grateful for - which means you can start a gratitude practice anytime. But if you're looking for a more ritual start date, there's a great one coming up: November 28 - Thanksgiving.