New Year, New You! Why Gratitude is Good For You

The USA celebrates an annual festival of “Thanksgiving”. The question that strikes me is, why just one day in the year? Perhaps we should make this a daily event!

I now discover that scientific research has proven this would be highly beneficial for all of us.

So let’s start 2026 with the intention of being grateful for something every day!

The two most powerful activities for life, health and happiness are love and gratitude.

Research shows that expressing gratitude has measurable benefits not just for mood but also for hormone balance, nervous system function, digestion, and immune health. In a way, gratitude might be the healthiest part of Thanksgiving.

Putting Gratitude to Work

If you want to put all this into practice, here are some simple things you can do to build positive momentum:

1. Say Grace: Whether Thanksgiving or anytime you sit down to a meal with loved ones, take a moment to go around and invite everyone to say one thing they are grateful for. Even if you eat a meal alone, you can take a moment to give thanks.
2. Keep a Daily Gratitude Journal: This really does work, as seen in Dr Emmons’ study and more recent studies, such as this 2017 study that showed improved biomarkers in patients with heart failure. And yes, there are apps for that.
3. Share The Love: Make it a practice to tell a spouse, partner, or friend something you appreciate about them every day.
4. Remember Mortality: You never know how long you, or anyone you love, will be alive. How would you treat your loved ones if you kept in mind that this could be the last time you’d ever see them?

Thank You

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for being grateful for the blessings, and even for the challenges, that come your way. Practising gratitude can make your world, and our whole world, better and brighter. Thank you.

You can learn more from the research here.

Michael Lingard BSc (Econ). DO