Do Grateful People Live Longer?

Source: Image from pickpic, CCO

It probably will not surprise you that behavior habits like exercise, healthy eating, and fostering good relationships are associated with a longer lifespan.

But recent research reveals a mental habit that had not previously been associated with longevity: an attitude of gratitude. A 2024 study strongly suggests that women who possess the “gratitude attitude” live longer than those who don’t.

What is “the gratitude attitude?” Simply put, gratitude can be defined as “a tendency to appreciate the good and the positive." An attitude of gratitude does not mean denying the painful setbacks and tragedies of life or believing that “everything is for the best.” (That would be “toxic positivity.”) Rather, gratitude is a mindset, often consciously cultivated, that leads to a mindful appreciation for the many joys of living and for the contributions of others to your life.

Before the recent study on gratitude and longevity, the benefits of gratitude for mental and physical well-being had already been extensively researched. For example, Robert Emmons, author of the 2005 book,Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, cites evidence showing that gratitude is associated with emotional well-being in that it boosts happiness levels, increases other positive emotions such as joy and enthusiasm, reduces depression and negative emotions like resentment, and increases optimism.

In addition, a 2019 study found that gratitude leads to life satisfaction, and that life satisfaction creates more gratitude, in a virtuous cycle. Other studies have suggested that higher levels of gratitude are associated with better physical health, too, including better sleep quality, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and less risk of memory decline. A 2024 study was just the latest to find that gratitude might help people overcome bad habits and develop good ones.

The link between gratitude and lifespan had not been explored, however, until recently. I'll describe the research in more detail below—and then describe 9 ways to infuse more gratitude into your own life so that you can harvest the many benefits of a thankful approach to life.

The Gratitude Attitude and Longevity

More than 49,000 female nurses with an average age of 79 were studied from 2016 to 2019, as part of the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study (dating from 1976). The research explored the question: “Do people who more frequently notice and feel grateful for positive experiences tend to live longer?” Notice that there were two behaviors involved:

1. Did participants notice positive experiences?
2. Did participants feel grateful for those experiences?

Gratitude was assessed using a widely used and validated questionnaire, the 6-item gratitude questionnaire.

Those who scored in the upper third on gratitude had a 9% lower risk of death from any cause than those who scored in the lower third of participants, even after accounting for lifestyle factors, religious affiliation, mental health, and the like. Death from cardiovascular disease was inversely associated with gratitude—that is, the more gratitude someone experienced, the fewer heart problems they were likely to have.

Since the research subjects were all women, the authors note that future research needs to be done on a more representative sample. Would men who have the gratitude attitude also live longer? I hope so and await further research. Meanwhile, both men and women can benefit from the emotional benefits of a gratitude practice.

Creating a Gratitude Practice

Gratitude seems to come naturally to some people, especially older people. In fact, the gratitude attitude may be one reason why older people are happier people, as I write in my book on healthy aging, Silver Sparks. As we age, we realize our time here is limited, and we search for "the good" in every moment we can, even in times of loss.

Gratitude Essential Reads

Gratitude Reconsidered: Thankfulness Is More Than a Warm Feeling

G-Force Living: How to Accelerate Your Well-Being

Others may need to consciously practice noticing the good things around them and deliberately appreciating those things. If you want to cultivate a “gratitude practice,” try the following tips:

1. Notice positive experiences. You can't feel grateful if you don't notice the positive things that happen to you. To train yourself to focus on the good, you could decide to take a mindful walk, deliberately noting the pleasure of movement or the beauty in flowers, trees, houses and people—whatever is positive for you. Likewise, you could focus on the positives of your work setting, your home and family, your commute—any aspect of your life.
2. Check in with yourself to see if you can feel grateful for those experiences. You could facilitate this process by smiling an “inner smile.” You could breathe deeply, and just feel happy to be alive. Or, you could simply say to yourself, “I am grateful for this.”
3. Write a gratitude letter to someone in your life who has helped you.
4. Keep a gratitude journal.
5. Practice the “Three Good Things” exercise: For one week (or a lifetime), write down or mentally note three good things that happened to you that day, reflecting on why those experiences happened. Luck? Something you did?
6. “Count your blessings” as they occur, just like the old song says.
7. Notice when people do something kind for you and thank them.
8. Accept and absorb compliments.
9. And, lastly, don’t forget to be grateful to yourself. When you finish a task, when you control your temper, when you are kind to others, when you use your time well—whatever your goal, give yourself a mental pat on the back for your daily accomplishments, no matter how great or small.

© Meg Selig, 2024. All rights reserved.