gratitude actually does make you happier

this proverb, penned by american author william arthur ward, is pretty powerful, and it   would likely have even greater meaning if more of us gave thanks more than once a year. in fact, according to scientists, if we made it a regular habit to be consciously grateful — to recognize what we’re most thankful for on a daily basis — we would not only be happier, but we could also make others happier.

this is your brain on gratitude

two indiana university professors of psychology, joshua brown and joel wong, conducted studies, later published in the university of california, berkeley’s, greater good magazine , that looked at the outcomes of three groups of participants. the first group wrote one letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks; the second wrote how they felt about negative experiences they’d had; and the third did not write anything.

other neuroscientists found that people who experience gratitude more often have more grey matter in an area of the right inferior temporal cortex which is responsible for learning and remembering non-verbal information. still other research has shown that expressing gratitude releases dopamine , which triggers positive emotions, and that writing about the positives in life releases serotonin, which enhances mood.

“this is something that we brought to the science table relatively recently, whereas before, it was more in the purview of religion and philosophy,” says dr. melanie badali, a registered psychologist at b.c.’s north shore stress & anxiety clinic and member of anxiety canada‘s board of directors who has written about gratitude . “the science part is systematically observing and experimenting. so when we talk about why gratitude might make you feel happier, we actually have data that [supports it].”

gratitude needs to be cultivated

girls and women more grateful than boys and men

several studies have shown that girls and women report feeling more grateful than boys and men, likely because boys and men sometimes associate gratitude with weakness or indebtedness. other studies have shown that people with certain traits, such as envy, narcissism and cynicism, have a harder time feeling grateful — and it extends to different cultures. research has shown that american men experienced gratitude less frequently than their german counterparts. in fact, one-third of american men preferred to hide their gratitude, while none of the german men did.

yet another study showed parents can instil gratitude in their children simply by acting as a thankful role model, but also by putting their kids in situations where they’re reminded to feel gratitude for what they have, such as volunteering for people in need.

badali says it’s not always necessary to direct your gratitude toward others. you can direct it inward, as in, “i’m grateful that i have the strength to endure this negative situation.” her only caveat is that feeling grateful for unfair or bad situations has the potential to reduce the likelihood that you’re going to try to correct those situations. “the soccer star abby wambach , for example, pointed out that the gratitude of women might be one factor contributing to the gender pay gap,” she says.

how to practice gratitude