November 2025
![The Health Benefits of Gratitude Leslee B. Cochrane, MD Executive Medical Director Thanksgiving is an ideal time to reflect on our many blessings and express our gratitude in meaningful ways. Multiple studies have demonstrated health benefits associated with having an attitude of gratitude. In 2023, The National Library of Medicine published an article summarizing the results of 64 randomized clinical trials studying the effects of gratitude on health. The study demonstrated that patients who participated in various forms of gratitude interventions experienced greater feelings of gratitude, fewer symptoms related to anxiety and depression and better overall mental health. Other studies have shown additional benefits of gratitude including improved sleep quality and a reduction in markers for the risk of cardiovascular disease. A large study published in 2024 in the Journal of the American Medical Association - Psychiatry, looked at the health benefits of gratitude on a group of 49,275 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study. The study found that those participants who demonstrated higher levels of gratitude had a 9% lower risk of death over the four year observation window when compared to those with low levels of gratitude. Although the study was not able to determine exactly how higher levels of gratitude impacted overall health, this was the first major study to show that having an attitude of gratitude may improve your life expectancy! If you would like some practical suggestions on how to improve your sense of gratitude, see the below recommendations offered by Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch from an article she wrote[i] Six questions to evoke gratitude Not feeling especially grateful today? You have the power to change that. Asking yourself certain questions can evoke gratitude, such as 1. What happened today that was good? 2. What am I taking for granted that I can be thankful for? 3. Which people in my life am I grateful for? 4. What is the last book I read or movie, show, or social media clip I saw that I really appreciated, and why? 5. What am I most looking forward to this week, month, and year, and why? 6. What is the kindest thing someone has said or done lately? Similarly, a few simple actions can infuse gratitude into your days. Try developing a family routine of regularly expressing gratitude around the dinner table. Another well-known practice that's perhaps becoming forgotten in this digital age is penning thank-you notes. Choosing an attitude of gratitude is a very beneficial to your health and has absolutely no adverse side effects. "Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy." - Fredd De Witt Amburgh](https://hospiceofthevalleys.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/health-benefits-of-gratitude.jpg)
November 2025
