Attitude of gratitude

Could the world get any crazier? I seriously asked my husband that recently as I read what I consider to be a sane newspaper, The Wall Street Journal.

Here’s just a sampling of what struck me as not only unbelievable but insanely frightening.

A prominent United States senator has to take time off from work because of broken ribs after getting in a fight with his neighbor with whom its reported, “he has had a long time feud.”

The former head of the Democratic National Committee, in the marketing midst of her “tell-all” book, receives an open letter from other leading Democrats complaining that their former leader “would buy into false Russian fueled propaganda ...”

And, God help us, an evil and deranged man was able to purchase weapons four times even though he had been less-than-honorably discharged from the military and ultimately kill 26 souls while they were worshiping on a Sunday morning.

So what I am suggesting in this column may strike you as somewhat counterintuitive. What we need — all of us — is more gratitude. Yes. The world is crazy (I just had an image of President Trump fist bumping Prime Minister Abe of Japan on the golf course recently), and it doesn’t seem that anyone is sorting out the insanity and putting us on a course that might achieve more world order. But here’s what I think: If each of us lived with an attitude of gratitude, we would improve our world and the world around us — one interaction, one hour, one day at a time.

Before you call 1-800-POLLYANNA, review with me all of the benefits of being grateful.

Let’s start with the purely selfish — our personal well-being:

The guru of gratitude researcher Robert Emmons from the University of California, Davis (one of the more sane UC campuses) says, “Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life. It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep.”

Emmons’ work has been mirrored in other studies. Researchers at the universities of Utah and Kentucky cited that stressed-out law students who characterized themselves as optimistic, which is an important component of feeling grateful, actually had more disease-fighting cells in their bodies, thus boosting their immunity. UC San Diego’s School of Medicine did a study that showed people who are more grateful have better heart health, specifically less inflammation.

We also know gratitude increases mental strength by reducing stress and overcoming trauma. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published a study that found that gratitude was a major contributor to resilience after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Vietnam War veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study in Behavior Research and Therapy.

Not only has it been found that gratitude is a positive element for our physical and mental well-being, it also makes us more popular. Social capital is the scientific term for popularity, and in two studies with more than 200 participants, it was found that those who were 10% more grateful were almost 20% more popular. Tell that to your teenager. Or your spouse. As we are expressing our gratitude, making us more appreciative and more trusting, our marriages improve (along with other relationships), according to researchers.

Going Global

Here’s where my theory really gains some traction: In a 2012 study conducted by the University of Kentucky, it was found that grateful people are more likely to behave in less aggressive and more empathetic ways, even when others behave badly. Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward others and a decreased desire to seek revenge. Don’t we wish Kim Jong Un could hear that.

With Thanksgiving next week, let’s consider the root meaning of gratitude. It has nothing to do with roasted turkey, candied yams or pecan pie. It comes from the Latin word gratia, which is also the root for the words grace and gracious. Doesn’t gratitude envelop all of those words. For me, acknowledging that the source of grace I feel comes from outside myself makes me very grateful. It keeps me connected to the rest of the world — as crazy as it may get and as beautiful and precious as we desire it to be.

Happy Thanksgiving. I wish you gratitude for all of your many blessings. Take the time — every day — to count them.

Pet Ownership Update

In one of the first Lifestyle RX columns, we extolled the benefits of dog ownership, citing studies that showed reduced stress, lower cholesterol and other betterments. Well, science is sort of like Protestantism — its reformed and always reforming. Now, researchers at UCLA along with the Rand Corp. have unraveled that the positive differences of pet owners can be attributed to the other characteristics of pet owners. In an article to be published in a new book, “The Animals Among Us: How Pets Make Us Human” author John Bradshaw reports it’s much more likely that healthy people choose to own pets rather than pets making owners healthy.

Don’t despair. The study did show that pets have a calming effect. Petting a dog releases well-being hormones. Another benefit? Walking your dog creates opportunities for people to become integrated into their neighborhoods. A study in Nashville, San Diego and Portland, Ore., found pet owners were more likely to get to know their neighbors than others. And, for all of you singles out there, a 2015 study published in Anthrozoos reported that a young man walking a Lab was able to obtain phone numbers from one woman in three, compared to less than one in 10 without his dog.

Kristine Nickel is a marketing communications consultant and former marketing and public relations executive. For more than 30 years, she has relieved her stress by writing features for publications across the country.