People already know it: saying “thank you” makes a person feel warm. It makes the world a better place to live in. However, there’s so much more about gratitude that people don’t know about.
Get some ideas for Stampin’ Up! cards now because today, you will learn the many ways a simple “thank you” can make you happier and healthier:
1. Gratitude Can Help You Win Friends
Do you have trouble connecting to someone? It turns out that all you need to do is to give thanks. A 2014 study published in Emotion revealed that a person who has received your gratitude is more likely to form a new friendship with you. That person may also see you as a person with a pleasing personality.
How did this come to be? For the research, the team worked with two groups of students: mentors and mentees. After a mentoring session, the mentees handed out handwritten notes to the “teachers.” Many of those who gave thanks also received something more from their mentors. These included phone numbers and e-mail addresses in case they needed additional help.
That’s not all. Previous studies already showed that gratitude could help not only in finding but also in building relationships.
2. Being Grateful Can Be Good for the Heart
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the most common causes of preventable deaths in the United States. You may help protect your heart by warming it with gratitude.
Research in Spirituality in Clinical Practice revealed that gratitude could reduce some of the known risk factors for heart disease. It can help improve sleep quality, lower fatigue, and even decrease inflammation biomarkers. The last one is important since inflammation can lead to chronic damage to the vital organs such as the blood vessels and the heart.
3. Giving Thanks Can Also Improve Romantic Relationships
Romance is complicated, and it takes more than gratitude to keep it together. Research in Personal Relationships, though, showed that it still has a significant influence.
According to the authors, positive thinking plays a huge role in improving a person’s emotional life. Saying “thank you,” on the other hand, can amplify the benefits of this form of thinking by as much as tenfold. They also call gratitude as a booster shot to the relationship. It is explained that while relationships can go through fluctuations, being grateful to your partner can improve the connection. In fact, couples can feel the effects as fast as the next day.
4. Gratitude May Help Improve Financial Impatience
Are you one of those who prefer instant gratification instead of future rewards? You may want to exercise gratitude. An experiment by Northeastern University College of Science researchers showed that those who feel more grateful are more likely to be patient. In fact, they apply this virtue better than happy or positive-thinking people.
The study also noted the association between gratitude and patience. The more they are grateful, the more they are willing to wait for a higher future gain.
Gratitude does more than give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. It makes you a happier, healthier, and more satisfied person. What’s more, you can help others achieve the same benefits.
