A new year’s resolution with lifelong benefits

Eat healthier. Exercise more. Lose weight. Get a promotion. We often return to the same New Year’s resolutions year after year, trying to find happiness through external measures or success. But according to science, we’d be better off focusing on our internal well-being instead.

In fact, research shows that the simple act of practicing gratitude can boost our mental health, improve physical resilience and cultivate relationships — a recipe for long-term happiness. According to neuroscientist Glenn Fox of the University of Southern California, when gratitude manifests in the mind, it releases a chemical called oxytocin. This leads to all kinds of feel-good emotions and health benefits, from reducing depression, anxiety, and stress to enhancing sleep, immune function, and cardiovascular health.

“The limits to gratitude’s health benefits are really in how much you pay attention to feeling and practicing gratitude,” says Dr. Fox. “It’s very similar to working out, in that the more you practice, the better you get. The more you practice, the easier it is to feel grateful when you need it.”

Ready to start counting your blessings? For those keen to make a lasting change in 2022, here are six simple ways to incorporate gratitude into your daily life.

1. Keep a journal

Expressing your thoughts on paper is one of the easiest and most effective ways to practice gratitude. To ease into the practice, try the “Three Good Things” method: Simply jot down a trio of things you’re thankful for before going to sleep. It can be as simple as your partner making you a cup of coffee or a co-worker giving you a compliment. Co-creator Martin Seligman, who’s known as the “father of positive psychology,” found that participants’ happiness increased within one week of starting the practice and continued to improve for several months after.

2. Start a gratitude jar

Another way to store up a bank of gratitude is to write brief thank-you notes and keep them in a jar. Whenever you have a stressful time and need to a reminder of all the wonderful things in your life, this joyful collection will help restore a positive attitude and growth mindset.

3. Ease into meditation

Ease into meditation with a guided, breath-based meditation practice that helps you slow down and reflect on all the blessings in your life. Not sure where to start? Try “Loving-Kindness,” a style of gratitude meditation that repeats positive affirmations and visualizations to mentally send love, warmth, and goodwill to yourself and others.

4. Embrace altruism

Altruistic acts have been proven to benefit both recipients and participants. In another study, Seligman asked undergraduate students to join two activities — one deemed “fun” (like going to the movies or eating ice cream), the other philanthropic — and measured their happiness levels afterwards. You guessed it: Those who partook in altruistic activities expressed greater happiness than those who did something pleasurable for themselves. “When you do something fun, it wears off quickly,” explained Seligman during a TED Talk. “When you do something philanthropic, to help another person, it lasts and lasts.”

5. Write thank-you notes

Writing “just because” notes via text, social media, email, or even snail mail to those who have impacted your life in big and small ways not only makes the recipient feel amazing but will also boost your own happiness and strengthen interpersonal relationships in the process. And don’t forget to say “thank you” out loud, too!

6. Practice mindfulness

The simplest way to practice gratitude? Acknowledge everyday joys, people, experiences and opportunities as they happen. “The best way to practice gratitude is just to integrate it into everyday life,” says Dr. Robert Emmons, one of the world’s leading gratitude experts. “By noticing things that are already happening around us, not taking things for granted, becoming more aware of the benefits we’re receiving, and looking at life like a gift.”