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What happens when you thank? Benefits of saying “thank you” daily
Psychology
The psychologists Inés Santos and Elena Huguet explain how it affects us to become aware of what we consider valuable and that we recognize as something positive, whether it comes from ourselves or from others
PM2:32El welfare it is a complex concept that does not benefit from quick or magic formulas. That is to say, many factors intervene and in each person they do it differently. However, there are small drill that can help us in the short and long term to feel better, and one of them is the gratitude.
To be grateful is to become aware of what we consider valuable, that we recognize as something positive for us and we appreciate, whether it comes from oneself or from others. Although it seems like a small gesture, it has a great effect on us and others as well.
To test the effect that appreciation had on people, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami conducted research in which they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular themes, which they specified.
One group was asked to write about what they were grateful for, to others about things that they would have disliked and a third group, who wrote in general for things that they would have affected.
After 10 weeks, the results of the experiment confirmed that those who wrote about the gratitude were more optimistic and they felt better about their lives, in addition to being more physically active and less likely to go to the doctor than those who wrote about what irritated them.
In addition, the studies of Martin Seligman, recognized pioneer of positive psychology, also confirm that when we express gratitude towards someone important to us, we show enormous increase in our perception of well-being, whose benefits are maintained up to a month after having done so, and not only in our case but also in that of the other person.
So … Happiness only depends on oneself? Its not that easy. Keep in mind that there is no causal relationship between gratitude and happinessIn other words, there are many other factors that can influence it, but what has already been proven is the association between the two.
For this reason, we invite you to write down 3 things that have happened in your day to day and for which you are grateful before going to sleep. Then reflect on what you may have overlooked and take a few minutes to appreciate it. Oh, and in case someone else has been involved in what you are grateful for, tell them!
Inés Santos and Elena Huguet are part of the team of psychologists of «En equilibro mental». Santos is, in addition to being a psychologist, a master’s degree in Evidence-based Clinical Psychology with a degree in “Child and Adolescent Behavior Therapy” and “Orientation and care in crisis.” She is a supervisor at the PsiCall Telematic Psychological Care Service of the UCM and is the author of the “Guide against hate speech and radicalization”.
For her part, Elena Huguet is, in addition to being a registered psychologist, an expert in Brief Strategic Therapy and she combines her activity with research in the UCM doctoral program. He participates in numerous international conferences and in scientific publications.