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Do you tend to see the glass as half full? And above all, do you feel grateful for what life has to offer? A question that is anything but trivial if we consider that feeling gratitude impacts physical health. This is what a study conducted by Harvard researchers reveals, who even suggest that this feeling could play a role in the longevity of older people.
In the United States, one day a year, the fourth Thursday in November, offers Americans the opportunity to loudly display their gratitude for life, whether it is living in good health, being well surrounded, having achieved their professional goals, or more simply being alive. Better known as Thanksgiving, this celebration is not without impact on mental health, with many studies having established a link between gratitude and happiness. In fact, we have seen trends emerging for some time around keeping a daily gratitude journal, which is said to improve well-being and be more optimistic.
A team of researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health goes even further, suggesting that gratitude could also positively impact physical health.Previous research has shown an association between gratitude and a lower risk of mental distress, as well as greater emotional and social well-being. However, its association with physical health is less well understood. Our study provides the first empirical evidence on this topic, suggesting that experiencing gratitude may increase longevity in older adults.“, says Ying Chen, lead author of the work, in a press release.
To reach these conclusions, the researchers analyzed data from a large national survey, the Nurses’ Health Study, which included 49,275 women with an average age of 79. The women completed a questionnaire about their levels of gratitude in 2016. This included whether they agreed or disagreed with certain statements, such as having many reasons to be grateful in life. Three years later, in 2019, the scientists quantified deaths among the participants, specifying whether they were deaths from all causes, or from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, infections, injuries or neurodegenerative diseases.
Published in the journal JAMA Psychiatrythese studies report 4,608 deaths during the follow-up period, particularly from cardiovascular diseases. But the researchers especially observed a lower risk of mortality from all causes (-9%) among participants who said they felt the most gratitude, compared to others. The authors of this research also specify that gratitude also reduced the risk of mortality linked to all specific causes, including cardiovascular diseases.
“Previous research indicates that there are ways to intentionally encourage gratitude, for example by writing or by discussing what we are grateful for several times a week“, continues Ying Chen. And concludes: “Promoting healthy aging is a public health priority, and we hope that further studies will improve our understanding of gratitude as a psychological resource for increasing longevity.“.
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