Can being grateful make you healthier? Can it improve your mental health? Let’s Google, shall we?

I came across an interesting article from 2017 by two professors at Indiana University – Dr. J Brown and Dr. J Wong. Here is a synopsis of an interesting study they completed to answer these very questions:

• Their research study involved nearly 300 adults, mostly college students who were seeking mental health counseling at a university.
• They randomly assigned the participants into three groups. The first group was instructed to write one letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks.
• Those who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health after their writing exercise ended.
• This suggests that gratitude writing can be beneficial not just for healthy, well-adjusted individuals, but also for those who struggle with mental health concerns.

I have been a member on several different teams, playing many different roles, that practiced something like “gratitude letters”. We’ve tried gratitude cards to members of the team, thank you letters to teammates and our sport, and other writing exercises to help boost morale and confidence. Here is a sample from a card I came across recently:

Dear X,

I know we say it all the time, but I really can’t believe how far our friendship has come. If someone would have told me a few years ago that you’d eventually become one of my closest relationships on the team, there’s no way I would’ve believed them… It’s funny you mentioned something to me about being patient, but I think you’ve been very patient with me as well, so thank you for that.

The person you’ve become is quite inspiring! Your passion and drive in everything that you do makes people want to be as dedicated and successful in our own lives… I am super grateful for how you’ve always pushed us to be vocal about what we deserve as women. I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened between the two of us because I think it’s led to a unique and strong relationship.

Thoughts? Do you think the person who wrote this felt better after the writing exercise? I wonder if it had a lasting impact on their wellness? According to Brown and Wong, the answers are “yes.”

How do you express gratitude?

Here is the full article by Brown and Wong: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain