Science says that gratitude practices are good for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Tune in to find out how!

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness, where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat, and today, I want to revisit our conversations on gratitude and take a brief moment to share the science of gratitude – the “why” behind the numerous benefits of this practice. Studies have shown that gratitude practices aid participants in various mental, physical, and emotional benefits.

Mayo Clinic reports that gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, and difficulties with chronic pain and the risk of disease. Greater Good magazine, published by the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) at the University of California, Berkeley, reports that gratitude helps people detach from negative emotions and connect with positive emotion words.

Another source, Mindful.org, reports that gratitude practices can boost self-esteem and enhance life satisfaction. As you can see, the data supporting gratitude practices is both deep and reputable.

Sometimes the concept of gratitude can trip people up, though. Rather than getting caught up in the concept of gratitude, you can replace it with appreciation. Entrepreneur made an excellent comparison that I want to share with you.

“Gratitude is simply defined as "the state of being grateful." It is a social emotion that expresses our appreciation for what others have done for us.

On the other hand, appreciation can be defined as recognizing the value and meaning of something. It can be an event, a person, a behavior or an object. Feeling a positive emotional connection to it shows appreciation toward the thing.”

Tomorrow, I have a fun announcement about how you can become more grateful or appreciative to improve your happiness, so make sure to tune in!

Life is heavy enough, we shouldn’t have to search for happiness. Get the exclusive happiness email, delivered with a smile twice a month to your inbox. https://www.katiejefcoat.com/email

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