We give Thanks for ... GRATITUDE
This attitude leads to good health
It is Thanksgiving weekend here in the USA. I thought it timely to review the benefits that befall the person who can recognize the good in their lives. There are profound psychological and physical benefits associated with gratitude, contributing to not only positive affect and life outcomes, but also to a decrease in negative affect.
Research looking at potential benefits of the gratitude trait is confounded with the co-correlation with the traits of spirituality and optimism. Those who regularly attend religious services or engage in religious activities are more likely to have a greater sense of gratitude, in all areas of life. This is found across the board within multiple faiths.
Boomers grew up with bedtime prayers of thanks — for those they love and the gifts they have received. That habit’s been engrained and entrained into their souls.
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” - Maya Angelou
“The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.” - Thornton Wilder
“No man has ever lived that had enough of children’s gratitude or woman’s love.” - William Butler Yeats
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” - John Milton
“A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.” - Plato
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity; it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” - William Faulkner
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” - Marcel Proust
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” - Voltaire
Most of all, I want to express my deep felt appreciation for all my subscibers, and most especially those who provide monetary support for this newsletter.
REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratitude
https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-ted-talks-videos/
AM Wood et al.Gratitude and well-being: a review and theoretical integration. Clin Psychol Rev 2010 Nov;30(7):890-905. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005. Epub 2010 Mar 20.PMID: 20451313 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
William Blake:
"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest."