The Power of Gratitude: Can Being Thankful Support Your Health?

Thanksgiving is a time when many of us pause to appreciate the people, experiences and traditions that matter to us.

But gratitude doesn't have to be reserved for one weekend in October.

Taking a moment to notice what is going well — a conversation with someone you love, a walk outside, a nourishing meal or simply a quiet cup of coffee — may seem like a small thing. Yet research suggests that intentionally practising gratitude may have meaningful benefits for our wellbeing.

So, this Thanksgiving, we're looking beyond what's on the table and exploring a different question:

Can being grateful actually support your health?

Gratitude Is More Than a Feeling

Gratitude can be thought of as recognizing and appreciating something positive in your life — whether that's another person, an experience or something as simple as a good moment in your day.

And importantly, gratitude can be practised.

Researchers have studied interventions such as keeping a gratitude journal, writing down things you're thankful for or expressing appreciation to someone else.

A 2023 meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials involving more than 6,700 participants found that expressing gratitude was associated with a modest improvement in psychological wellbeing, including measures of happiness, positive emotions and life satisfaction.[1]

Another systematic review and meta-analysis of 64 randomized trials found that gratitude interventions were associated with better mental health, greater life satisfaction and more positive emotions, as well as reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression.[2]

Gratitude isn't a cure-all. But it may be one simple tool that helps support wellbeing.

Gratitude and Stress: Shifting Where We Place Our Attention

Our brains are remarkably good at noticing problems.

Deadlines. Traffic. An uncomfortable conversation. The email we forgot to send. The long list of things that still need to be done.

That's useful when something requires our attention, but it can also mean that the positive parts of our day get overlooked.

A gratitude practice doesn't require ignoring stress or pretending everything is perfect. Instead, it creates an intentional moment to notice what is also going well.

You might still have a stressful day and be grateful for the friend who called you.

You might be exhausted and still appreciate a beautiful walk home.

Both things can be true.

Over time, intentionally directing attention toward positive experiences may be one reason gratitude practices are associated with improved emotional wellbeing.

Could Gratitude Support Better Sleep?

There's another interesting area of gratitude research: sleep.

Several studies have explored whether gratitude practices may help improve subjective sleep quality. One systematic review of gratitude interventions found improvements in subjective sleep quality in five of eight studies that assessed it, although the researchers emphasized that more evidence is needed before firm conclusions can be made.[3]

One possible explanation is surprisingly simple.

What are you thinking about when your head hits the pillow?

For many people, bedtime becomes an opportunity to replay conversations, worry about tomorrow or mentally run through the next day's to-do list.

Taking a few minutes before bed to reflect on something you're grateful for may offer a gentler focus as the day comes to an end.

It's not a replacement for good sleep habits — but it may be a worthwhile addition to them.

Gratitude and the Bigger Picture of Health

Health isn't determined by one habit.

Your genetics can influence things such as nutrient metabolism, caffeine metabolism and other biological pathways. Your gut microbiome is shaped by factors including diet, lifestyle, environment and medications. Sleep, movement, stress, relationships and nutrition all contribute to the bigger picture.

Gratitude is another piece of that picture.

Researchers have begun investigating whether gratitude may influence physical health and health behaviours, including sleep, cardiovascular health and adherence to healthy behaviours. Some findings are promising, but the evidence is still developing, and gratitude should not be presented as a treatment for physical health conditions.[3,4]

What it does remind us is that wellbeing extends beyond what we eat or how often we exercise.

Taking care of ourselves also includes how we experience our lives.

A Simple Thanksgiving Gratitude Practice

You don't need a special journal, an app or 30 minutes of meditation to practise gratitude.

Try this at Thanksgiving dinner — or at the end of any ordinary day:

Think of three things you're grateful for.

One can be big.

One can be small.

And one can be something you normally take for granted.

Maybe it's your health.

Maybe it's the people sitting around your table.

Maybe it's the smell of dinner cooking, a dog asleep at your feet or the fact that someone else volunteered to do the dishes.

The point isn't to find the "right" things to be grateful for.

It's simply to notice.

This Thanksgiving, We're Grateful for You

At dnaPower, we spend a lot of time talking about data — DNA, the gut microbiome, nutrition, metabolism and the many factors that make each of us biologically unique.

But health is about more than data.

It's also about having the opportunity to know yourself better, make informed choices and take care of the life you're building.

This Thanksgiving, we're especially grateful for the people who have trusted dnaPower to be part of that journey — our clients, practitioners, partners and community.

From all of us at dnaPower, Happy Thanksgiving.

And before the weekend is over, take a moment to ask yourself:

What are you grateful for today?

References

1. Kirca A, Malouff JM, Meynadier J. The Effect of Expressed Gratitude Interventions on Psychological Wellbeing: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Studies. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. 2023;8:63–86.
2. Diniz G, Korkes L, Tristão LS, et al. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (São Paulo). 2023;21.
3. Boggiss AL, Consedine NS, Brenton-Peters JM, Hofman PL, Serlachius AS. A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2020;135:110165.
4. Wang X, Song C. The impact of gratitude interventions on patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology. 2023;14:1243598.