Embrace Gratitude Year-Round for Better Health and Happiness

Thanksgiving has a way of cutting through the noise. Not because of the turkey or the pumpkin pie (though those don’t hurt), but because it’s the one day when we collectively pause and say, “Let’s actually think about what we’re thankful for.”

Here’s the thing: Thanksgiving gets something fundamentally right. The science backs it up, and honestly? We should be doing this more than once a year.

What the Research Actually Says

The science behind gratitude is more compelling than you might expect.

A comprehensive meta-analysis examining 64 randomized clinical trials found that people who practiced gratitude interventions experienced measurably better mental health and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. They also reported more positive moods, greater optimism, and less worry.¹

But here’s what really got my attention: researchers at UC Berkeley studied nearly 300 adults seeking mental health counseling. One group wrote gratitude letters once a week for three weeks. Compared to those who only received counseling, the gratitude writers reported significantly better mental health—not immediately, but four weeks and 12 weeks after they stopped writing.²

The benefits didn’t fade. They grew.

It’s Not Just About Feeling Good

The initial assumption might be that gratitude just makes you happier. But the effects go much deeper—particularly when it comes to physical health.

Research from UCLA Health shows that practicing gratitude—just 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for at least six weeks—can enhance mental wellness and possibly promote a lasting change in perspective.³ But the physical benefits surprised me even more.

A 2021 review found that keeping a gratitude journal can cause a significant drop in diastolic blood pressure.³ Multiple studies show that grateful people tend to have better heart health markers, improved sleep, and even lower levels of hemoglobin A1c—a glucose marker associated with diabetes.³,⁴

A recent study from the long-term Nurses’ Health Study examined 49,275 women and found that those with the highest gratitude scores had a 9% lower risk of dying over four years compared to those with the lowest scores.⁵

Let me repeat that: practicing gratitude may actually help you live longer.

Why Does Gratitude Work?

Here’s where it gets interesting. Gratitude isn’t just positive thinking. It’s more like a competing response to negative thought patterns.

The Berkeley researchers identified four mechanisms: Gratitude disconnects us from toxic, negative emotions and the ruminating that often accompanies them. Writing about gratitude “shifts our attention” so that our focus is on positive emotions. Expressing gratitude helps us even if we don’t explicitly share it with someone. The positive effects compound over time—you might not notice daily benefits, but after several weeks and months, you will.²

Think about it this way: when you’re spiraling into anxiety about the future or replaying past mistakes, gratitude pulls you back to the present. It’s not about denying problems exist—it’s about training your brain to notice what’s also working.

The Thanksgiving Problem

Here’s the issue with Thanksgiving: we treat gratitude like an annual event.

Once a year, we sit around the table and say what we’re thankful for. Then we go back to our normal patterns of stress, worry, and focusing on what’s wrong.

UCLA Health researchers note: “You’ll get the biggest health benefits of gratitude when it becomes habitual and part of your thought process.”³

The research is pretty clear on frequency. Some studies suggest once or twice per week is more beneficial than daily journaling,⁶ but the key word is regular. It needs to be a practice, not an occasion.

What Healthcare Providers Can Actually Do

For busy healthcare professionals, implementing gratitude practices requires realistic, sustainable approaches—not just theory.

Because let’s be honest—healthcare workers are exhausted. We’re dealing with staffing shortages, insurance denials, regulatory changes, and patients who genuinely need us. Telling someone to “be more grateful” when they’re drowning feels tone-deaf.

But here’s what the research suggests actually works:

Start Small and Specific

UCLA Health recommends practicing gratitude 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for at least six weeks.³ That’s it. Not every day. Not for hours. Just 15 minutes, five times a week.

You don’t need a fancy journal. At the end of each day, think of three things that you’re thankful for. You can either say them out loud with loved ones or write them in a journal.⁷

Make It Real, Not Generic

Don’t write “I’m grateful for my health.” That’s too vague. Write “I’m grateful my back didn’t hurt during that long surgery today” or “I’m grateful the pharmacist caught that medication error before it reached the patient.”

The specificity matters. It trains your brain to notice the small wins that actually happened, not abstract concepts.

It’s Okay If It Feels Awkward at First

Many people think of gratitude as a trait. But if you practice it, focusing on the positive things in life can become a habit and eventually come naturally to you.³

Starting a gratitude practice can feel forced initially. The key is to stop trying to manufacture feelings and simply record factual things that went well. The emotional response often follows later, once the habit is established.

It Doesn’t Work for Everyone (And That’s Okay)

Here’s something important that researchers acknowledge: gratitude interventions don’t work for everyone.

One study found that middle-aged divorced women who kept gratitude journals were no more satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Another study found that children and adolescents who wrote and delivered a thank-you letter to someone who had made a difference in their lives may have made the other person happier—but did not improve their own well-being.⁸

The researchers suggest that gratitude may be “an attainment associated with emotional maturity.”⁸ In other words, it might work better for some people and in some life stages than others.

If you try gratitude practices and they don’t resonate, that’s okay. There are other evidence-based approaches to wellbeing. Don’t force it.

The Thanksgiving Takeaway

Here’s what Thanksgiving gets right: it creates a moment where we collectively pause and shift our attention to what’s working.

The mistake is thinking that’s enough.

Gratitude isn’t a once-a-year event. It’s a practice. And like any practice—whether it’s exercise, meditation, or keeping your clinical skills sharp—it only works if you do it regularly.

The research suggests that patients who underwent gratitude interventions experienced greater feelings of gratitude, better mental health, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression,¹ but these benefits accumulated over time with consistent practice.

This Thanksgiving, by all means, say what you’re grateful for around the table. But then consider: what would it look like to make this a weekly practice? What would change if, every Sunday evening, you took 10 minutes to write down three specific things that went well that week?

You might be surprised. The research suggests you’ll be healthier, less anxious, possibly even live longer. And in healthcare, where burnout is real and the work is hard, we need every evidence-based tool we can get.

Making It Practical for Your Life

The best way to form a mindset of gratitude is to slip it in throughout the day.³

Here are some options that actually fit into a busy healthcare schedule:

Morning routine: Before checking your phone, think of one thing you’re looking forward to today

Between patients: Take 30 seconds to note something that went well with the last patient interaction

End of shift: On your drive home, mentally list three things that didn’t go wrong today

Weekly habit: Sunday evening, write down 3-5 specific good things from the week

The key is consistency over intensity. A gratitude practice trains the brain to be more in tune with experiencing gratitude—a positive plus a positive, equal more positives.⁶

Thanksgiving gives us permission to pause and be thankful. That’s valuable. But the real power of gratitude comes from making it a regular practice, not an annual tradition.

The science is clear: gratitude improves mental health, reduces anxiety and depression, supports physical health, and may even help us live longer. But only if we practice it consistently.

So this Thanksgiving, enjoy the turkey and the family time. Say what you’re grateful for. And then, maybe, consider making it a habit to keep going.

Your future self—and your health—might thank you for it.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you.

References

Jia Y, et al. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2023;21:eRW0371. Published 2023 Aug 18. doi:10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RW0371

Wong YJ, Brown J. How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain. Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. June 6, 2017.

UCLA Health. Health benefits of gratitude. Published March 22, 2023.

Redwine LS, et al. Pilot Randomized Study of a Gratitude Journaling Intervention on Heart Rate Variability and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients With Stage B Heart Failure. Psychosom Med. 2016;78(6):667-676.

Kubzansky LD, et al. Gratitude and Subsequent Health and Well-being Across the Life Span: A Prospective Cohort Study. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024 Jul 24. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.1539