As we approach Thanksgiving, I wish all Savers in the U.S. a warm and wonderful holiday celebration this week. I hope that your Thanksgiving will be filled with friends, family, love and genuine gratitude.
Gratitude really shouldn’t be confined to just one week out of the year; it should span the entire year. Today you’ll discover what I’m sure will amaze you: that feeling grateful has been scientifically proven to help build your bones and improve your overall health.
So I’m thrilled to share with you five health benefits of thankfulness, and we’ll also explore the science behind them.
Five Scientifically-Backed Benefits Of Feeling Grateful
1. Greater Happiness And Well-Being, Less Anxiety And Depression
When you cultivate a sense of gratitude, you can look forward to a happier, calmer outlook, according to a review published in Clinical Psychology Review. According to the research, gratitude is “strongly linked” to a sense of positive well-being and:
“Well-being can be defined through (a) psychopathology, (b) general emotional functioning, (c) existential functioning, or (d) humanistic conceptions… gratitude is robustly associated with each of these conceptions of well-being.”1
This is good news indeed, especially as we gear up for the holidays, which can be a stressful time for some. Experiencing less anxiety is important, since the ‘fight or flight’ hormone cortisol can actually damage your bones.
2. Leads To Lifestyle Habits Resulting In Better Health
It’s interesting to note that grateful people tend to engage in healthful eating, regular exercise, and other healthy habits. According to a 2013 study:
“… grateful individuals experience better physical health, in part, because of their greater psychological health, propensity for healthy activities, and willingness to seek help for health concerns.”2
These things feed on each other. Gratitude inspires healthy behavior, and healthy behavior inspires more gratitude. It’s a win-win for all aspects of health, including your bone health.
3. Builds A Strong Immune System
Incredibly, white blood cell counts are actually higher in those with a positive outlook, according to a study published in Psychological Science. Researchers evaluated law students as to positivity and optimism, and discovered that immunity was in fact influenced by outlook.
Those with an optimistic view had increases in various immune cells, leading researchers to note in their discussion that:
“Optimistic expectancies are accompanied by changes in immunity, as well as the first evidence for a mechanism by which this effect occurs.”3
How timely that Thanksgiving falls during cold and flu season!
4. Improved Sleep
When you’re grateful, it’s more likely you’ll get a good night’s sleep (which is bound to make you even more thankful!). This was clearly shown in a study of 401 male and female participants, aged 18 to 68, which explored “pre-sleep cognitions” and how they influence sleep quality and duration.
Researchers report results that are independent of personality traits, including neuroticism, which can negatively affect sleep.
The scientists note that:
“Gratitude predicted greater subjective sleep quality and sleep duration, and less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction.”4
This elucidates prior research that revealed a remarkable improvement in mood and relaxation when people took time in the evenings to “count their blessings.”
So gratitude helps to build bone more efficiently, since lack of sleep can lead to bone loss.
5. Healthier Relationships
There’s no doubt that grateful people are more enjoyable to be around, and research shows that they do in fact have healthier, more satisfying relationships. The study published in the Clinical Psychology Review found that grateful people practice positive relationship traits, such as forgiveness and interpersonal connection. Additionally, grateful people derive more satisfaction from their relationships.1
This extends to work and business relationships, too. Have you ever known someone who just seemed “lucky” in business and in life? Everything seems to go well with them, from relationships to business success. But it might just be that they’ve cultivated a grateful outlook that opens them up to new experiences, information, and people. That’s an attitude you’ll find among Savers!
Considering this research, it makes more sense than ever to cultivate a grateful outlook. And here’s something else to boost your optimism, because…
Feeling Grateful Gets Easier As We Age
Gratitude develops over the years, beginning around preschool age. During the teen years, gratitude is exhibited less obviously, as children grow more independent and dislike acknowledging the dependence that gratitude implies. Then, during young adulthood, gratitude begins to increase until it seems to peak in the senior years.
The reasons for this are interesting to consider. It could be due to decreased sensitivity in the amygdala, a part of the limbic system that is involved in attention and memory. Over time, this area of the brain becomes less sensitive to unhappy or negative information.
And the fact is, as we age, we have a broader perspective due to greater life experience. Negativities that would have dragged us down in our adolescence just don’t seem to matter as much when we have a better understanding of the “big picture.”
Being able to see the larger scope of things and feeling grateful opens your mind, as I mentioned above. I’ve seen this attitude again and again when Savers write in about how they’ve defied the odds and regained bone density when their doctors were anything but optimistic.
This is partly because, like all positive emotions…
Gratitude Boosts Bone Health
The comprehensive nature of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program takes mental and emotional aspects of health into consideration. The pH-balanced nutritional program includes a lot of depression-fighting Foundation Foods that build bones and improve mood. And the Program includes regular exercise, which has been shown time and again to relieve depression and increase happiness. This helps Savers avoid bone-damaging anti-depressant drugs.
Stop Worrying About Your Bone Loss
Join thousands of Savers from around the world who have reversed or prevented their bone loss naturally and scientifically with the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.
So what better time than now to thank you for your participation in the Save Our Bones community, and for your commitment to reversing osteoporosis without dangerous drugs. I could never do this without you, and the gratitude I feel toward each and every one of you is genuine and heartfelt.
Thanks to you, I remain inspired to tirelessly continue my work, and I’m truly grateful!
Happy Thanksgiving!
References:
1 Wood, Alex M., Froh, Jeffrey J., and Geraghty, Adam W.A. “Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration.” Clinical Psychology Review. 30(2010) 890-905. Web. https://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/alex.wood/gratitudereview.pdf
2 Hill, Patrick L., Allemand, Mathias, and Roberts, Brent W. “Examining the Pathways between Gratitude and Self-Rated Physical Health across Adulthood.” Pers Individ Dif. January 2013. 54(1): 92-96. Doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2012.08.011. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3489271/
3 Segersrom, Suzanne C. and Sephton, Sandra E. “Optimistic Expectancies and Cell-Mediated Immunity: The Role of Positive Affect.” Psychological Science. February 24, 2010. 21:448. Doi: 10.1177/0956797610362061. Web. https://courses.education.illinois.edu/EdPsy587/Segerstrom_Sephton_Psych_Sci_2010.pdf
4 Wood, A.M., et al. “Gratitude influences sleep through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions.” J Psychosom Res. January 2009. 66(1): 43-8. Doi: 10.1016/j.psychores.2008.09. 002. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19073292
Comments on this article are closed.
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Thanks; Happy Healthy Holidays wishes.
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Thanks Vivian for all the studies and research you do to help us with our health. I stopped worrying about my osteoporosis and am trying to eat healthy, thanks to
your advise. Thanks so much and many blessings during these holidays .. and
always! Jael -
Have just been diagnosed with advanced osteoporosis. A shock. No bones broken.
I move a lot but weight is low. I am interested in the programme but not clear about the cost of it.
More Information would be useful. -
Thank you Vivian for your tireless work and commitment to keep us informed of the latest on bone health. You are our mentor and coach. Much love to you and yours this holiday season!
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Many thanks to you Vivian:
I always enjoy reading the good wholesome information you
have on bone health. It inspires and helps me to realize
how important this message is for me and many other people.
I feel the care you have for people, and your good advice is
priceless.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating and giving thanks. Living in gratitude is easy when we begin to realize that each day is a blessing. We never know when someone we care about will leave us. We lost a niece in September very unexpectedly and this will be a tough Thanksgiving but we’ll get through it. Love, patience, understanding and being grateful for each day and moment we have is the key to real peacefulness and good immune system. God Bless and keep you all,
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Hi Vivian,
I Just Want To Wish You A Wonderful Thanksgiving To You & Your Family..
Thank You For The Information and Exercises..I do Them Everyday….
My Doctor Wants Me To Take Prolia For Osteoporosis..I am afraid..
What Do You Think About This ????Take Care….Marlene-
Don’t do it!!!! They wanted me to take Forteo for 2 yrs. then Prolia for the rest of my life. Make them give you the whole write up on that stuff, read it very carefully then toss it in the trash, its more pharmaceutical poison.. I had 6 fractures and they have healed since I followed the plans on here and only natural, organic and clean foods with exercise…
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I am thankful for having found you – the Save Our Bones program……..
Happy Thanksgiving! -
The older I get, the more thankful I become. Thanks to Vivian, I no longer worry about osteoporosis. I am 76 and, of course, the bone density test said I had it years ago. But, I stay active with exercise and tennis, and try to keep my “undense” bones strong. I am thankful I have never broken a bone and no longer waste my money on bone density tests.
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Happy Thanksgiving! neighbours to the south. I agree with the premise that there is much for which to be thankful even when we go through difficult experiences. More challenging for those in desperate situations and there are many in today’s world. I will attend the funeral of an elderly friend this week who when she was suffering and asked how she is, would reply “I am blessed”.
Where’s the healthy ice cream pie recipe ? I don’t see a link in this article.