Is Gratitude a Powerful Medicine?

by WiredBerries Editors — August 28, 2007

Researchers have found that one of the best medicines to stay physically and mentally fit is good old-fashioned gratitude. In a study of organ recipients, researchers from UC Davis and the Mississippi University for Women found that patients who keep "gratitude journals" score better on measures of mental health, general health, and vitality than those who keep only routine notes about their days. "We found that increased feelings of gratitude can cause people’s well-being and quality of life to improve," said Robert Emmons, a UC Davis professor who specializes in the study of gratitude.

After 21 days, mental health and general well-being scores, which includes physical and mental health, had risen for patients in the gratitude group but declined for those in the control group. Patients in the control group also reported a loss of vitality, while the grateful patients experienced no change.

"It’s likely that health and vitality scores declined in the control group because, unlike the experimental group, they did not benefit from the protective effect of gratitude," Emmons said. "Having a chronic medical condition puts one at risk for deteriorating mental health, and a reduction in one’s sense of general health and vitality is an indicator of this. Gratitude may serve as a buffer against these risks."

The best part is that gratitude is cost free and has no unpleasant side effects, so go ahead and indulge!