Many Iowans will go around the table at Thanksgiving and list the things for which they’re thankful, but a University of Iowa study finds simply expressing gratitude can help to improve heart health.
Dr. Harleah Buck is director of the UI’s Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence. Buck says research shows gratitude can help to reduce inflammation, blood pressure, and heart rate, and it’s an odd coincidence we offer thanks during this particular holiday.
“The foods that we eat at Thanksgiving tend -not- to be good for our heart. They’re heavy in the fats and things that we know are not good,” Buck says, “however, expressing gratitude around the table, I like to think ameliorates some of that.”
Research finds gratitude may help to boost a person’s ability to care for themselves, whether that’s taking their medication or getting more sleep. Buck and her team reviewed more than a dozen research studies involving the impact of gratitude on more than 4,000 people.
“One of the studies that we looked at actually showed that expressing gratitude results in people feeling more confident that what they do makes a difference with their heart,” Buck says, “so it really is the gift that keeps on giving.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, killing more people in recent years than even COVID-19. Buck, who’s also a professor in the UI College of Nursing, says it’s fascinating something like gratitude can have such a far-reaching psychological and physiological impact.
“In the scientific literature, gratitude is defined as an emotional response to other people’s kindness, but it can also be a mood that focuses on what we cherish in life,” Buck says, “but the important part is it can become a trait. It can be something, a practice, that you can actually make part of your life.”
How do we put more gratitude in our lives? Buck says there are all sorts of ways, and one of the easiest may be writing in a journal — on your laptop, in a notebook, or even on your phone.
“Start out by writing what you’re thankful for each and every day. That can help you to track new things and remind you of the good things in your life,” Buck says. “At Thanksgiving around the table, we can share our gratitude. We can express it directly to people, and then we can listen to theirs, which also helps to lift our mood.”
The website for the Csomay Center says its mission is to advance innovations in research, education, and practice to promote optimal aging and quality of life in all older adults and their caregivers.