HealthDay – Older women who scored highest on a questionnaire measuring gratitude had a 9% lower risk of premature death from any cause, compared to those with the least gratitude, according to findings published July 3 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
The results suggest that feelings of gratitude “may increase longevity among older adults,” lead author Ying Chen, a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said.
For the study, researchers analyzed data gathered from the long-term Nurse’s Health Study.
Gratitude appeared to protect against every specific cause of death included in the study, and most significantly against death by heart disease, researchers said. Other causes included cancer, respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, infections and injuries.
“Prior research indicates that there are ways of intentionally fostering gratitude, such as writing down or discussing what you are grateful for a few times a week,” Chen said … READ MORE.
