How Gratefulness Rocks

Scenario: "Dude, I'm grateful when you shut the !@^^ up. Yay!"

Yeah, we'd think living the grateful life makes us healthier. But to really follow advice, you'd want hard evidence.

How does being grateful rock?

Oh-let-us-count-the-ways:

You become healthier.
According to researchers:
"Grateful people -- those who perceive gratitude as a permanent trait rather than a temporary state of mind -- have an edge on the not-so-grateful when it comes to health. 'Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations.'"
You boost your immune system.
You boost your immune system because:
"Grateful people tend to be more optimistic. Optimism also has a positive health impact on people with compromised health. In separate studies, patients confronting AIDS, as well as those preparing to undergo surgery, had better health outcomes when they maintained attitudes of optimism."
You destroy stress easier.
The reports:
"It's no secret that stress can make us sick, particularly when we can't cope with it. It's linked to several leading causes of death, including heart disease and cancer, and claims responsibility for up to 90% of all doctor visits. Gratitude, it turns out, can help us better manage stress. 'Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress.'"

Rule of thumb: The more "thank-you's" you say in a day to your people, your office supplies, your yadda, the more fabulous you'll live your life.

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Posted on March 30