{"id":5232,"date":"2024-07-12T09:39:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T13:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=5232"},"modified":"2024-07-12T09:39:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T13:39:28","slug":"new-study-finds-that-gratitude-may-help-you-live-longer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2024\/07\/new-study-finds-that-gratitude-may-help-you-live-longer.html","title":{"rendered":"New Study Finds That Gratitude May Help You Live Longer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"gratitude\"
Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Death is inevitable, but that hasn\u2019t stopped health researchers from looking for ways to put it off as long as possible. Their newest candidate is painless, free, doesn\u2019t taste bad and won\u2019t force you to break a sweat: Gratitude. A new study of almost 50,000 older women found that the stronger their feelings of gratitude, the lower their chances of dying over the next three years. The results are sure to be appreciated by those who are naturally inclined toward giving thanks. Those who aren\u2019t may be grateful to learn that with practice, they may be able to enhance their feelings of gratitude and reap the longevity benefits as well.<\/p>\n

Joel Wong, a professor of counseling psychology at the University of of Indiana who researches gratitude interventions and practices and wasn\u2019t involved in the new work, said, \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting study.\u201d Mounting evidence has linked gratitude with a host of benefits for physical and mental health. People who score higher on measures of gratitude have been found to have been biomarkers for cardiovascular function, immune system inflammation, and cholesterol. They\u2019re more likely to take their medications, get regular exercise, have healthy sleep habits, and follow a balanced diet. Gratitude is also associated with a\u00a0lower risk of depression<\/a>, better social support, and a greater\u00a0purpose in life<\/a>, all of which are linked with longevity.<\/p>\n

However, this is the first time researchers have directly linked gratitude to a lower risk of earlier death, Wong and others said. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising, but it\u2019s always good to see empirical research supporting the idea that gratitude is not only good for your mental health but also for\u00a0living a longer life<\/a>,\u201d Wong said. Study leader\u00a0Ying Chen<\/a>, an empirical research scientist with the\u00a0Human Flourishing Program<\/a>\u00a0at Harvard University, said she was amazed by the absence of studies on gratitude and mortality. So she and her colleagues turned to data from the\u00a0Nurses Health Study<\/a>, which has been tracking the health and habits of thousands of American women since 1976.<\/p>\n