Picture it— your ideal Thanksgiving dinner. A table lined with your favorite people and decorated with your favorite foods. The air is filled with chatter and savory smells. You eat until you’re stuffed and laugh until your stomach hurts. Any stress slips your mind, and you simply enjoy the moment. 

Before my family digs into our Thanksgiving meal, each one of us takes the time to share something we’re grateful for. It’s definitely not the most original tradition; conversations about gratitude are more common for everyone this time of year. Parents incentivize good behavior and insist on saying “thank you.” Charity donations skyrocket. We prioritize time with loved ones. Gift shopping and giving fuels the economy and media. The approaching new year reminds us of what we’ve done and asks us how we want to change. 

With the busyness of the holiday season, those few minutes of sharing the best parts of my life with my family are dear to my heart. Everything seems to slow down, and I feel more satisfied with life. Believe it or not, that’s not an uncommon experience, either. Numerous studies indicate that gratitude is linked to well-being. Giving thanks is more than your family’s favorite tradition— it’s also great for your health. 

The University of California, Berkeley, conducted research with adults, mostly college students, who were seeking mental health counseling in 2017. They randomly assigned students to one of three groups. The first group wrote a letter of gratitude to someone once a week for three weeks. The second journaled about their frustrations, and the remaining students didn’t participate in a writing activity. 

Four and 12 weeks after performing their writing exercises, members of the group who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health than the groups that didn’t. But the study didn’t stop there. 

Three months later, UC Berkeley invited the students who wrote gratitude letters, along with the ones who didn’t write anything, to partake in further research. The students participated in a pay-it-forward exercise while having their brain activity monitored via a fMRI scanner. Afterward, the students completed surveys about their gratitude toward the benefactor and any guilt or obligations they felt to donate the money they were given. 

The fMRI scanner showed that the more grateful participants had different amounts of brain activity from those who felt more guilty. Furthermore, the students who previously wrote gratitude letters had greater activity in their medial prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for learning and decision-making. This indicates that expressing gratitude can have long-term effects on the brain. 

Several similar studies have produced similar results. Harvard researchers studied gratitude in the workplace. They determined that employees who are thanked for their hard work by their managers are up to 50% more productive. Additionally, Harvard research has linked writing gratitude letters to higher scores on happiness surveys. In an analysis of 70 studies and over 26,000 participants higher amounts of gratitude were linked to lower levels of depression and/or anxiety. That’s huge for our generation’s health.

Depression can increase a person’s risk of dying from cancer by 50% and heart disease by 67%. Optimism and life satisfaction are also associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases. Gratitude has been used as an effective method to lessen the impact of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. If a pill could do all of this, everyone would take it.

In addition to personal health benefits, practicing thankfulness has social benefits. At the very least, expressing your gratitude for someone improves their day. On a molecular level, gratitude releases oxytocin. Oxytocin is often called the love hormone, as it is associated with positive human connection. Being thankful can help improve your relationships— and form new ones.

If gratitude is associated with all of these benefits, how can we better implement it into our daily routines? Don’t think of gratitude as a characteristic or personality trait that must be inherited or developed. It can be practiced, and you can start whenever you’d like. Here are some of my favorite ways to exercise gratitude: 

• Be Vocal. Say what you appreciate out loud– whether it’s to another person or into the mirror. 

• Write it down. Journaling your gratitude helps you thoughtfully reflect and allows you to look back on positive moments in life. 

• Give back. You can share your gratitude with others through quality time or gifts. Whatever it looks like, it’s likely to put a smile on both of your faces!

• Combat anger with thankfulness. It’s nearly impossible to be frustrated or anxious whilst being thankful. 

Willie Nelson once said, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” Gratitude should be practiced daily, not just because it's a nice thing to do, but because it can help you live longer— and enjoy it. 

TEDxUTAustin is grateful for you and the perspectives you hold. You are valuable to so many people! We hope your holiday season, and the rest of your life are filled with appreciation.

See our Reel about gratitude here.

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Grace Gates