Gratitude is what? Why is it important to be grateful?

Gratitude is the realization that the sources of good are beyond ourselves. If other people or even higher forces help to some extent achieve a sense of happiness, then gratitude is that amplifying emotion that prompts not only to appreciate the deed or gift, but also reciprocate.

Being grateful is good for your health

Over the past decade, hundreds of studies have documented the social, physical and moral aspects of why it's important to be grateful:

• Gratitude is what brings happiness and satisfaction with life. The feeling of gratitude increases optimism, joy, pleasure, enthusiasm and causes other positive emotions.
• Signs of anxiety and depression decrease many times.
• The immune system is strengthened, blood pressure decreases, the symptoms of the disease decrease, the pains become less strong. Take care of your health? Be grateful.
• Grateful people sleep better and rest more during sleep.
• Relations with other people become more stable and strong.
• Gratitude is also a powerful tool for strengthening interpersonal relationships. People who express their gratitude, as a rule, are more willing to forgive others and are less narcissistic.

What is gratitude?

Gratitude has different meanings in the theory of positive psychology. Most of us associate this concept with the word "thank you", addressed to someone who helped, provided a service or made a gift. However, not all so simple. Gratitude is not only words or actions, it is also positive emotions, a willingness to return good. First, there comes the recognition of good in human life. In a state of gratitude, we say "yes" to life. Secondly, gratitude recognizes that some of the sources of this good lie outside of us, and one can be grateful to other people, animals, the world as a whole, and not just to oneself.

Main purposes of gratitude

People can use gratitude to form new or improve old friendships, apologize or help in solving other problems that they may face. Acknowledgment is a useful, in fact, process. Just to say thank you for being and alive, is a great way to motivate. The idea that tomorrow may not come, pushes some people to realize the value of each day lived. To thank people is not for reciprocity, but to show how much we appreciate them.

Exchange of positive emotions

Gratitude is something that can be contagious, in the good sense of the word. The practice of gratitude can create a greater social circle of good. It is not necessary to reciprocate the person who thanked you, you can go further and say thank you to strangers, even for trivialities.

Helpful Tips

1. Say thank you at least once a day.
2. Before going to sleep, think about the positive things that happened during the day.
3. Send letters of gratitude to close people and friends.

Centuries-old wisdom reminds humanity that gratitude is our natural ability. Together with gratitude, other related qualities are revealed, such as compassion, generosity and many other positive states.