Embracing an attitude of gratitude can transform your health.
No one knows that better than Elliott Howell. About three years ago, at age 30, Howell was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. His doctors gave him eight to 10 years to live.
Almost instantly, he went from partying with friends to chemo and radiation treatments. The diagnosis was life altering — but Howell chose to alter his life for the better.
“When you get that prognosis, it's a really big wake-up call,” Howell says. “You can either make your bed and lie in it or you can try to move forward and be the very best person you can be.”
For Howell, that meant focusing on his health and wellness practices. After his successful treatment and recovery, he now pursues his passions and works full time as a travel photographer, creating motivational content inspired by his new life perspective.
A lot of his mindset comes down to gratitude, he says. “I’m grateful that I’m here now and I can live presently, instead of always picking apart the past or future thinking. So many people think, ‘If I just make this amount of money or get this thing, then I can be happy.’ Instead, gratitude helps center me in the present and be happy now.”
Gratitude can be transformative for anyone — whether you’re facing a health issue or simply navigating everyday stressors and challenges. “When we practice gratitude, it wipes fear away and increases our well being and satisfaction with life,” says Lifeforce Health Coach Kristen Alexander. “It's like an antidote to the negativity that surrounds us daily.”
So how exactly do you practice gratitude? It takes, well, practice. We talk to the experts about gratitude’s science-backed benefits for your physical and mental health, plus simple ways to incorporate it into your life starting right now.
What Does Gratitude Mean?
Gratitude isn’t as simple as saying “thanks.”
“It’s important to define gratitude at two levels — as an emotional state and as an emotional trait,” says Philip Watkins, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Eastern Washington University.
“As an emotional state, I define gratitude as the emotion people experience when they affirm that something good has happened to them, and they recognize that someone else is largely responsible for this benefit,” explains Dr. Watkins, who was involved in the foundations of the gratitude research movement in the 90s. “As an emotional trait, gratitude is one’s propensity for experiencing that emotion. Someone high in the trait feels gratitude frequently over a wide range of experiences.”
The good news is gratitude is a muscle you can flex — and it gets stronger the more you intentionally work at it.
"You don't have to wait for a greater life to feel grateful," says Lifeforce Health Coach Jamila Tyson. “To me, gratitude is about perspective and seeing the positives that are surrounding you, no matter how small they may seem. It is appreciating what you have right now. It is free, and available to anyone who wants it.”
Health Perks to Be Grateful For
This widely accessible practice has wide-ranging impacts on your health. “You could write a book about the importance of gratitude,” says Dr. Watkins (in fact, he wrote the book Gratitude and the Good Life: Toward a Psychology of Appreciation). “But in short, gratitude is good for you.” How good? Let’s dig into the benefits.
Enhances longevity.
A 2024 study found that older adults who reported high levels of gratitude had a 9% lower risk of all-cause mortality over the course of four years than those who expressed less gratitude. Gratitude appeared to be protective against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease.
Protects heart health.
According to a 2023 review study, gratitude may positively impact biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk. Gratitude journaling was also associated with lower blood pressure.
Reduces inflammation.
People who journaled about loved ones they were grateful for exhibited lower levels of inflammation and inflammatory markers, according to a 2021 study. That may be because inflammation is tied to chronic stress, and research shows that gratitude can help lower stress levels.
Improves sleep quality.
When study participants made nightly lists of things they were grateful for, they reported getting longer, more restful sleep after just three weeks.
Promotes emotional well-being.
“Literally hundreds of studies have shown that gratitude is not only associated with subjective well-being — grateful people tend to be happy people — but that gratitude actually causes enhanced subjective well-being,” Dr. Watkins says. His own research found that people who did a daily exercise where they expressed three gratitudes were better able to access positive memories.
Tyson adds, “Gratitude is key for emotional regulation. It impacts a part of your brain called the limbic system, which is responsible for emotional experiences, leading to a release of those toxic unhealthy emotions and an enhancement of self-love.The domino effect here is that self-love often produces self-care, which is necessary for mental and physical health.”
Strengthens relationships.
Research shows that expressing gratitude not only helps deepen existing bonds, but also fosters the formation of new connections. This is especially important because research finds that people who have strong social ties live longer than those who don’t.
Our Lifeforce coaches have witnessed the benefits of gratitude firsthand. “I've seen Lifeforce members lower their blood pressure, improve their liver markers, decrease inflammation markers, improve their sleep, and lower symptoms of depression,” Alexander says. “They've also improved their relationship with food and exercise. It's amazing to see how a simple shift in perspective can have such profound effects on both mental and physical health.”
How to Practice an Attitude of Gratitude
Want to reap those benefits? You can start right now with these simple practices. Most of them take 15 minutes or less!
Count your blessings.
“For two weeks, every day, recall three good things that happened to you in the last day or so, and write about how they made you feel grateful,” Dr. Watkins suggests. “Vividly imagine the scene or benefit and write about how valuable it is to you.”
He notes that this exercise only takes 5 to 10 minutes of your day. There are apps like Gratitude that provide prompts to make it even easier. Says Watkins, “We have found that this counting blessings exercise (what we call grateful recounting), helps train you to notice and appreciate the good in your life that often flies under your radar.”
Recite morning mantras.
“Every morning, I like to affirm, ‘I am still standing.’ ‘I have a purpose today.’ ‘I am healthy,’” Tyson says. “Just meditating on those affirmations helps me to conquer my day with purpose, and push through any obstacles that come up.”
Howell also incorporates gratitude into his morning routine. “It’s easy to get out of bed and think, ‘Today is just another day,’ and then you go through the motions,” he says. “If you can just say to yourself, ‘No, today is going to be a great day,’ it might change your outlook. Over time, that will compound and make you more positive and grateful for everything around you.”
Devote at least 1% of your day to your passions.
Another practice Howell lives by: “Try to do something 1% of the day that will better you,” he recommends. “That’s just 15 minutes. Maybe you like to draw or write. It could be going on a walk — whatever it is that helps better your mind and physical well being. You can be grateful in that moment that you’re taking time for yourself. And at year’s end, you’ll have hours of things you did that can lead to true happiness.”
Reframe negative thoughts.
There will always be stressors and obstacles that come up. In those moments, try to take a beat and reframe, Alexander advises. “When you're feeling annoyed or rejected, pause and ask yourself how you can move into a moment of grace and gratitude.” Even just asking yourself the question can help shift your perspective.
Practice sensory gratitude.
“Try to incorporate all your senses in your gratitude practice,” Alexander says. “Appreciate the smell of your coffee, the warmth of sunlight on your skin, or the sound of laughter.”
Wind down with bedtime reflections.
End your day with a dose of gratitude. Alexander suggests, “Before sleep, think or write down three things you're grateful for from that day. It could be something brave you did, a kind word from someone, or even something as simple as a dish soap you loved the smell of.”
Write gratitude letters.
Monthly or quarterly, set aside time and think about a person in your life you feel grateful for, Watkins advises. “Imagine how important they are to you and what they have brought into your life. Be specific. After contemplating this person, write a letter of gratitude to them. If you can, visit them and read the letter to them. If visiting is difficult, give them a FaceTime or Zoom call. This exercise emphasizes that it's not just experiencing gratitude that's important, it's also expressing gratitude.”
Big or small, there is always something to be grateful for. “In our often disconnected world, gratitude is the bridge back to all the good stuff we can easily overlook — your morning mushroom coffee, the way your loved one walks into the room, or the air you get to breathe into your lungs,” Alexander says. “Gratitude can become your superpower in this world. Use it often, and witness your world transform.”
This article was medically reviewed by Mary Stratos, PA-C, Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner.