5 Surprising Benefits of Gratitude

Recommending a gratitude practice may be nothing new. Yes, you’ll likely feel happier everyday. And it’s true that our brains can only focus on one thought at a time. So, the more you devote to feeling grateful, the less time, space, and energy there will be for negativity.

But gratitude not only makes a massive impact on our mental health, it’s also beneficial to our physical body as well—and in some surprising ways. Here are five healthy changes you can make with just a little gratitude.

1. A Healthy Heart

When you consciously practice gratitude, you’re given even more to be grateful for. Studies have shown that people who have some kind of daily gratitude practice, such as thinking of three things before falling asleep or writing in a gratitude journal, have healthier heart rhythms and less inflammation than those who don’t. They also feel less stressed, a significant indicator of heart health.

“Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life,” Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis, told TODAY. “It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep.”

2. Strong Immunity

If you’ve found yourself taken down by a virus, here’s some good news. People who feel grateful and more optimistic actually have more blood cells to fight disease in their bodies. A study of stressed-out first-year law students found that those who still reported feeling optimistic by midterms had higher levels of immune cells than those who didn’t.

3. Better Sleep

There’s nothing worse than tossing and turning all night, watching the clock slowly tick away. There are many lifestyle changes we can make for better sleep, but perhaps the easiest one is starting to feel more grateful.

A 2009 study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that people who practice gratitude before bed reported deeper, more quality sleep. They also reported waking up feeling better and more alert. So, tonight before you drift off, think back to your day and silently say thank you for everything that went right.

4. Healthier Diet

Have you been struggling with making a change in your diet? Even willpower and the best of intentions are not always enough to make that change stick. However, gratitude may be your missing link. A few studies have shown that people who keep a daily gratitude journal eat less fat than those who don’t.

5. More Active

How many of us have vowed to hit the gym every morning only to fall away after a few days? Making big habit changes is tough, but you can make it easier on yourself. People who report feeling grateful everyday are more likely to exercise daily and more likely to visit their doctors regularly. And with more exercise comes a slew of benefits in itself, including boosted mood and energy and decreased risk of chronic illness.