We here at the Gratitude Experiment are doing our own personal research to discover the power of practicing daily gratitude in our lives (and anyone can participate…click on the How to Participate tab.) We want to know if the practice can actually transform our lives. And those of you who have been practicing proactive gratitude for some time may have already proven to yourself that you are now happier, healthier, sleep better, have more fulfilling relationships, more fulfilling work, and your success and prosperity may have even increased. Many have proven this to themselves.
But did you know that there has been a fair amount of scientific research already done to answer this same question?…most notably by a psychologist and professor at the University of California, Davis, Dr. Robert Emmons.
Emmons has published his studies in medical journals and in several textbooks. Emmons theory is that, similar to our weight after dieting, our level of happiness has a certain “set-point” that it returns to shortly after any conditions or experiences that would bring about joy or sorrow. He believes we are genetically coded to experience a certain level of happiness. But, that this level can be positively and permanently altered by practicing intentional gratitude.
Results of his study indicate that “participants in the gratitude condition felt more joyful, enthusiastic, interested, attentive, energetic, excited, determined and strong” in addition to offering others more emotional support or help than the control group. The gratitude participants reported sleeping better, had increased positive feelings and life satisfaction, and were 25% happier overall than before they began the experiment. He believes that gratitude may lessen and even prevent depression.
How does the practice of intentional gratitude affect our physical well-being? Well, a study done by psychologist Glen Affleck indicates that heart patients “who feel appreciative of life” after a heart attack have a reduced risk for subsequent attacks. And a study conducted at the Duke University Medical Center found that patients with significant arterial blockage were substantially less likely to say they count their blessings, and were encouraged to include the practice as a coping strategy.
Studies show that even our life span is positively affected by the practice to gratitude, and negatively affected by negative emotions…particularly depression and pessimism. A 35 year longitudinal study of male Harvard students found significantly less disease at midlife in the optimists than from their pessimistic counterparts. And a study at the Mayo Clinic found that those who scored high on optimism had a 50% lower risk of premature death than those who scored as being more pessimistic. (See previous blog post The Gratitude Experiment Day 57 on the subject of how the practice of gratitude relates to optimism.)
Hopefully there will be more studies done in the future on this often overlooked practice of gratitude and how extremely beneficial it can be to every area of our lives. And if you have heard of any studies done in this area, please share them here with us.
In the meantime, we will be doing our own personal experiments with the practice of proactive gratitude, and reaping all the rewards!