{"id":3082,"date":"2019-11-26T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/practicing-gratitude-can-have-profound-health-benefits\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T11:46:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:46:21","slug":"practicing-gratitude-can-improve-your-health-and-well-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/practicing-gratitude-can-improve-your-health-and-well-being\/","title":{"rendered":"Practicing gratitude can have profound health benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3124-700x432.jpg\"\n                    data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Practicing gratitude can have profound health benefits\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Practicing feeling gratitude \u2014 even for small things like a warm beverage or hot shower \u2014 can be beneficial, according to USC experts. (Photo: iStock.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=alumni\">Alumni<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Practicing gratitude can have profound health benefits<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Dornsife alumnus Glenn Fox says Thanksgiving is a great time to count your blessings, but evidence shows that being grateful throughout the year can lead to better health and well-being.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Eric Lindberg<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">November 26, 2019<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>It\u2019s a Thanksgiving tradition in many U.S. families, but you might be surprised to learn that the simple exercise can have dramatic benefits.<\/p>\n<p>For those who can resist diving into the turkey and mashed potatoes for a few minutes to share their thanks first, evidence indicates that gratitude can boost health and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBenefits associated with gratitude include better sleep, more exercise, reduced symptoms of physical pain, lower levels of inflammation, lower blood pressure and a host of other things we associate with better health,\u201d said alumnus Glenn Fox. An expert in the science of gratitude at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Marshall School of Business<\/a>, Fox is head of program design, strategy and outreach at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marshall.usc.edu\/faculty-research\/labs-and-institutes\/usc-performance-science-institute\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Performance Science Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Fox earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience while working at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/bci\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brain and Creativity Institute<\/a>. \u201cThe limits to gratitude\u2019s health benefits are really in how much you pay attention to feeling and practicing gratitude,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>You might get a warm glow from expressing gratitude once a year at Thanksgiving. To truly derive long-lasting benefits, though, experts say you should make it a part of your daily or weekly routine. Scientific evidence from gratitude research backs up a few typical approaches, including saying thanks to people who don\u2019t expect it and writing down a few things each day that make you grateful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very similar to working out, in that the more you practice, the better you get,\u201d Fox said. \u201cThe more you practice, the easier it is to feel grateful when you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Links to health, social bonding and stress relief<\/h2>\n<p>Fox first <a href=\"https:\/\/whyy.org\/segments\/your-brain-on-gratitude-how-a-neuroscientist-used-his-research-to-heal-from-grief\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">started researching gratitude<\/a> as a doctoral student at USC Dornsife. Some people scoffed at his interest in the emotion, which had received little attention from researchers. But he pressed forward with what would become the first study of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2015.01491\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">how gratitude manifests in the brain<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He found links between gratitude and brain structures also tied to social bonding, reward and stress relief. Other studies have bolstered his findings, revealing connections between the tendency to feel grateful and a chemical called oxytocin that promotes social ties.<\/p>\n<p>Research on gratitude has also found associations with other health benefits, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0272735810000450\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general well-being<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0022399908004224\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">better sleep<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/17439760.2018.1497688\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more generosity<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0092656607001286\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">less depression<\/a>. Fox said it makes sense that gratitude is beneficial from an evolutionary perspective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGratitude is such a key function of our social lives and our evolution as a species,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who did not develop gratitude or grateful relationships with others, it\u2019s very unlikely they would have survived in a social context.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fVXYb_jDKe0?si=HN4VCetbiZsMAgjo\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2>Tips on practicing gratitude<\/h2>\n<p>So what are some proven techniques to becoming a more grateful person? Fox said gratitude research has shown that some of the most effective approaches include maintaining a gratitude journal, penning personal thank-you notes and regularly expressing gratitude to others in person.<\/p>\n<p>Fox suggested experimenting to find the method that works best. Stick with something for a few weeks and note any improvements in how you feel. For him, spending a few minutes each day before winding down for bed is the most effective approach. He might write in his gratitude journal, practice guided meditation, call someone to express thanks or write a note to a friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt helps create a buffer and helps me sleep a little better,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not that you\u2019ll never have a restless night again or you won\u2019t feel stressed. The whole point is that, for that time, you\u2019ve spared yourself a little bit of the anxiety of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Fox said there\u2019s no wrong way to practice gratitude. Going around the table to share thanks, writing positive messages to others or simply taking the time to connect with friends and family are all good ways to get started.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat other holiday is built on recognizing things we are grateful for?\u201d he said. \u201cI just don\u2019t think you can go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/can-love-and-money-make-us-happy\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Are We Looking for Happiness in All the Wrong Places?<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/mixed-emotions-are-real\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Are mixed emotions real? New research says yes<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/impulse-control-obesity-drug-abuse\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Can\u2019t stop putting your hand in the candy dish? Scientists may have found why<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USC Dornsife alumnus Glenn Fox says Thanksgiving is a great time to count your blessings, but evidence shows that being grateful throughout the year can lead to better health and well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":3085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[548,667,480,106,666],"class_list":["post-3082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-brain-and-creativity-institute","tag-glenn-fox","tag-health","tag-neuroscience","tag-thanksgiving"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Practicing gratitude can have profound health benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thanksgiving is a great time to count your blessings, but evidence shows that being grateful throughout the year can lead to better health and well-being. 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