@BabyStarCandy 28 February 2022 more from that month

Gratitude is not only helpful emotionally, but physically it has the opposite actions of stress. SCIENCE SAYS GRATITUDE IS GREAT FOR YOUR HEALTH Since the year 2010 there have been over 300 scientific papers published on the science of gratitude, and it goes way beyond just having a positive attitude. Scientific research indicates that the practice of gratitude can have profound and lasting effects in a person’s life. It can reduce blood pressure, improve immune function, and improve the quality of sleep. In heart patients, it has resulted in better heart health, reducing inflammation and improving healthier heart rhythms. There is research showing that grateful people have significantly lower stress hormones (cortisol), eat healthier diets, and may even have reduced effects of aging. "Gratitude works because, as a way of perceiving and interpreting life, it recruits other positive emotions that have direct physical benefits, most likely through the immune system or endocrine system," says Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis. Emmons states that when we think about what we appreciate, the parasympathetic or calming part of the nervous system is triggered and that can have protective benefits on the body, including decreasing cortisol levels and perhaps increasing oxytocin - the bonding hormone involved in relationships that make us feel so good. We all have a lot of stresses and challenges in life, and there may be times you feel you don’t have anything to be grateful for. But, it really can be as simple as just thinking about being grateful, and finding one little thing to be grateful for and focusing on that, and gratitude can transform the way you see things in life. Share this post, and put at least one thing you are grateful for in the comments. More about the health benefits of gratitude can be found here: https://askthescientists.com/gratitude/