Thank you. Those two little words are a powerful duo. (Image courtesy of Felixco Inc.)

As with all good things, Thanksgiving and the food comas that come with it have passed and the annual ritual of bonding over carbs and turkey (or tofurky, if you like) have come to an end (hopefully after hefty helpings of pecan and pumpkin pie). The holiday may be over, but the concept that lies at its heart doesn’t have to be. Before you finish off those leftovers, take a moment to consider what you are thankful for. That simple act may help you in ways you never considered.

Psychologists have linked the simple act of gratitude and positive thinking with a host of good things (from mitigating depression to fighting heart disease). Even better, the art of appreciation and gratitude isn’t hard; anyone can integrate a bit of mindfulness about the good in their lives and harvest some of those rewards.

For example, Robert A. Emmons at the University of California created a simple study in which three groups had to write down just 5 things a week in their journal. The first group focused on items that annoyed or upset them, the second on things they were grateful for and the third wrote down 5 things that affected them in some way. The end result? After less than two months of journaling about items they appreciated in their lives (it could be anything: a beautiful day, getting an especially good latte, a newborn child) the second group reported being happier, healthier feeling, more hopeful and even sleeping better than the other groups. The kicker, the New York Times reports these statements “were corroborated by observations from their spouses.”

Another study by UCD showed that adults with neuromuscular disease who took part in a a 21-day ‘gratitude intervention’ (these are self-guided exercises like writing things you’re happy about, meditating and performing intentional acts of kindness) led to similar results.

If you’d like to cultivate thankfulness in your life but want something more interactive than a journal, another option is writing a letter or email to individuals you’d like to thank in your life (for this one don’t focus on items that are trivial). Kent State University did a 6 week study using this model in 2011. 220 participants (20-70 years old) wrote a letter a week to people expressing their gratitude. The results showed that these individuals also had larger increases of “life satisfaction” when compared to the control group.

Not sure you can climb onto the ‘grateful’ bandwagon just yet? Well, there have been studies that go beyond trying to nail down who’s scoring higher on an arguably hard to quantify ‘happiness’ meter; in 2001 Johns Hopkins released a study of 600 adults who had a history of family heart disease. On top of feeling better, the positive thinkers were half as likely as those without a “good attitude” to have a heart attack or other heart problem (participants were observed for five to 12 years with regular stress tests and questionnaires).

How is that possible? Diane M. Becker, the senior author of the study and director of Hopkins’ Center for Health Promotion says, “It’s possible that the people with a positive attitude produce lower levels of stress hormones, which helps protect them from disease.” More study is needed but whether or not positive thinking buffers people from stress hormones or some other factors are at work, the studies show that cultivating gratitude and optimism can actually do your body a lot of good.

Still feeling negative? That’s ok. On the flip side, Joseph P. Forgas, a professor at the University of New South Wales, had this to say about the merits of pessimism (from the New York Times), “Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world.” So, a dash of cynicism can add perspective and focus to a situation. Isn’t it nice to know that there’s something to be grateful about on those days when negativity might overwhelm your attempts to get that optimistic momentum going?

Still, in a world with news media that seems to spew endless stories about horrible things going on all over the globe, a little acknowledgement of what is good in our daily lives certainly can’t hurt. So, go a head and give thanks.  You’ve earned it.

PS: Did I mention how much I appreciate you taking the time to read this? Well I do!

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