Expressing gratitude makes us healthier: Who wouldn't be grateful for that?
As it turns out, all this expression of gratitud e is a good thing for our minds and bodies. In a new article in the National Communication Association's Review of Communication , authors Stephen M. Yoshimura and Kassandra Berzins explore the connection between gratitude expression and psychological and physical well-being. As one might expect, positivity begets positive results for our well-being. What the authors write may seem obvious: "Gratitude consistently associates with many positive social, psychological, and health states, such as an increased likelihood of helping others, optimism, exercise, and reduced reports of physical symptoms." However, the authors argue that not enough research has been done on the communication of gratitude and its effect on well-being, and they propose further avenues for analysis of gratitude messages and their impact. Expressions o f gratitude are often a response to others' acts of generosity -- if you receive a gift fro...