Research confirms that performing acts of kindness and sharing thankful thoughts have many positive effects on mood and health. They are among the top five predictors of happiness.
When you feel thankful for something, that's gratitude. You never get it out of 1; you are clear who or what is responsible, whether that's a loved one, a stranger, or a higher power. Gratitude is how you 2 to others when you see yourself in connection with things larger than yourself. 3, this understanding of our reliance on others is becoming more 4 today. With commercial and social media, everything makes the younger generation feel that they are the 5 of the universe. If it's all about them, why thank others?
If true, there would be a disturbing 6 trend. Canadian researchers found that people who wrote thank-you letters or performed good deeds for a six-week period decreased their pain, upped their energy, and improved their mental health. And you can 7these benefits at any age. Old people who choose to be thankful are less likely to worry about their 8 health.
Gratitude tends to be easily spread, as well. Those who are helped are more likely to pay kindness 9 . One study found that when someone is thanked, it more than doubles his or her chances of being 10 again, likely because he or she enjoys feeling socially 11 .
If you aren't particularly grateful now, you can learn to be. People who keep a journal of three positive things that happen to them each day 12 health-inducing thankfulness. At first, it may be difficult to 13 the good things that occur. But 14, your brain gets trained into a more appreciative mode. And in the end, the journal becomes a book of joyful 15. Gratitude training certainly comes to your aid during the 16 times because a greater 17 for life is the part you focus on.
18your gratefulness directly with the person you feel grateful to, the benefits of happiness 19. You don't need a scientific study to know that showing and accepting gratitude can ensure you an 20 life, a much better life than you thought.
