We all know that gratitude is a good thing – mentally, it helps you become positive, optimistic and abundantly minded.

But the thing you may not realize is that gratitude is also good for you, physically.  Mostly for the general reason that a healthy mind helps create a healthy body, but there is some true science behind the physical effects of gratitude as well.

Here are five exact ways that practicing gratitude helps support good physical and mental health.

1. Gratitude Keeps You Physically Healthy

In general, the act of practicing gratitude can keep you well. In fact, Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California at Davis, has been a leading researcher in this growing field of studying the effects of thankfulness, or “positive psychology.” His research has found that those who adopt an “attitude of gratitude” as a permanent state of mind experience a number of health benefits.

When you are happy, your body is able to better fighting off sickness and heal from illness, both mentally and physically. Furthermore, research on gratitude has repeatedly shown that thankful people have higher energy levels, are more relaxed, are happier and are healthier. So, practicing gratitude regularly can even lead to a longer lifespan!

2. Gratitude Makes You Happy

A quick biology lesson: there are a number of naturally occurring chemicals in the human body that are biologically responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness.

One of these chemicals is dopamine. According to Psychology Today, dopamine is “a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers.” Dopamine also helps regulate movement, attention, learning and emotional responses – with too little dopamine, our movement may become delayed. Low levels of dopamine are also linked to procrastination, self-doubt, and general lack of enthusiasm.

Dopamine is highly correlated with our actions and our motivations. Dopamine enables us to see rewards, but also: to take action to move toward them. And when you achieve those rewards, you receive a feeling of pleasure and happiness.

(Side note: this is why the “Just Do One Thing” Method works so well! Small achievements incite a rush of dopamine, which then motivates us to continue taking action!)

Feelings of gratitude trigger this same biological chain reaction: when we feel grateful, we flood our brains with dopamine, and receive a natural high. For this same reason, practicing gratitude can be addictive – but there’s nothing wrong with that!

3. Gratitude Helps Lessen Feelings of Pain

When you practice gratitude regularly, you will naturally take on a more positive and optimistic outlook on life. You will become happier, more thankful, more expectant of good things.

When you are happy, you laugh more. And laughter is a natural trigger for endorphin release, as well as exercise. Say it with me, people:

Source: giphy.com

And the release of endorphins acts as an analgesic and sedative (similar to morphine), which diminishes your perception of pain. So, by practicing gratitude regularly, you can also experience less pain and suffering in your body – how cool is that?

4. Gratitude Helps You Sleep Better

Thinking grateful thoughts can help you get a better night’s sleep.

In a recent study, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, led by psychology professor Nancy Digdon, and shared in Psychology Today, a student wrote in a gratitude journal every evening for 15 minutes. At the conclusion of the study, it was shown than students were able to worry less at bedtime and sleep longer and better afterward.

Practicing routine gratitude, can help decrease the time it takes to fall asleep, increase our quality of sleep and lengthen the duration of our sleep.

And getting more sleep also has a domino effect on other bodily processes, like keeping your immune system strong so you are better able to fend off illness.

5. Gratitude Helps Reduce Stress

As mentioned above, sleep is connected to many body functions, including mental clarity, decreased anxiety, and lower stress levels. Therefore, by the transitive property: practicing gratitude >> better sleep >> reduced stress. But let’s break it down a little further than that.

In a recent study, “The Appreciative Heart: The Psychophysiology of Positive Emotions and Optimal Functioning” on gratitude by Rollin McCraty and Doc Childre, scientists studied the effects of gratitude on heart behavior. As a result of that study, 23% of participants showed a decrease in cortisol, the most prominent stress hormone. In addition to that, 80% of participants in the study showed changes in heart rate variability; a direct result of reduced stress levels.

If you want to change your life – if you want to change your physical health – cultivating a gratitude practice is a great place to start.