Gratitude | Gentle Bedtime Reading For Sleep
Relax with this calm bedtime reading designed to ease insomnia and invite deep, restful sleep. Drift off with a peaceful exploration of gratitude as gentle narration helps quiet the mind and soften stress. In this episode, you’ll discover the history, meaning, and cultural significance of gratitude while settling into a soothing, unhurried pace. Benjamin’s steady, comforting cadence offers a fact-filled reading without whispering—just simple, quiet learning that helps calm anxiety and sleeplessness. Let this soft, educational journey ease your thoughts so you can let go, breathe deeply, and drift into rest. Press play whenever you need comfort, calm, and a little extra space to relax. Happy sleeping!
Transcript
Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,
Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.
I'm your host,
Benjamin Boster,
And today's episode is about gratitude.
Gratitude,
Thankfulness,
Or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation or similar positive response.
By a recipient of another's kindness.
This kindness can be gifts,
Help,
Favors,
Or another form of generosity to another person.
The word comes from the Latin word gratus,
Which means pleasing or thankful.
The absence of gratitude,
Where gratitude is expected,
Is called ingratitude or ungratefulness.
Gratitude has been a part of several world religions.
It has also been a topic of interest to ancient,
Medieval,
And modern philosophers.
The discipline of psychology attempts to understand the short-term experience of gratitude,
State gratitude,
Individual differences in how frequently gratitude is felt,
Trait gratitude,
The relationship between these two,
And the therapeutic benefits of gratitude.
Gratitude is a topic of interest in the philosophical disciplines of normative ethics,
Applied ethics,
And political philosophy,
As well as in the field of moral psychology.
A.
D.
M.
Walker suggests,
Contrary to views that only characterize gratitude as a kind of reciprocity,
That gratitude is appropriate even toward an unintentional kindness,
Such as an offhand remark from a stranger.
Walker further observes that Thomas Aquinas commended gratefulness for what benefits one even when done from contempt,
Reluctance,
And regret.
Spirituality and gratitude are not dependent on each other,
But studies have found that spirituality can enhance a person's ability to be grateful.
Those who regularly attend religious services or engage in religious activities are more likely to have a greater sense of gratitude in all areas of life.
Gratitude is prized in the Christian,
Buddhist,
Muslim,
Jewish,
Baha'i,
And Hindu traditions.
Worship with gratitude to God,
Or a similar religious figure,
Is a common theme in such religions,
And the concept of gratitude permeates religious texts,
Teachings,
And traditions.
It is one of the most common emotions that religions aim to evoke and maintain in followers,
And is regarded as a universal religious sentiment.
In Judaism,
Gratitude is an essential part of the act of worship,
And every aspect of a worshipper's life.
According to the Hebrew worldview,
All things come from God,
And due to this,
Gratitude is essential to the followers of Judaism.
The Hebrew scriptures are filled with the idea of gratitude.
Two examples in the Psalms are,
O Lord my God,
I will give thanks to you forever,
And I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.
Jewish prayers often incorporate gratitude beginning with the Shema,
In which the worshipper states that out of gratitude,
You shall love the Eternal,
Your God,
With all your heart,
With all your soul,
And with all your might.
One of the crucial blessings in the central thrice-daily prayer,
The Amidah,
Is called Modim,
We give thanks to you.
This is also the only blessing that is recited by the congregation together with the leader during their repetition of the Amidah.
The concluding prayer,
The Aleinu,
Also speaks of gratitude by thanking God for the particular destiny of the Jewish people.
Along with these prayers,
Faithful worshippers recite more than 100 blessings,
Called Berachot,
Throughout the day.
In Judaism there is also a significant emphasis on gratitude for acts of human kindness and goodness.
Martin Luther referred to gratitude as the basic Christian attitude,
And today it is still referred to as the heart of the Gospel.
Christians are encouraged to praise and give gratitude to their Creator.
In Christian gratitude,
God is seen as the selfless giver of all good things,
And because of this,
Gratefulness enables Christians to share a common bond,
Shaping all aspects of a follower's life.
Gratitude in Christianity is an acknowledgment of God's generosity that inspires Christians to shape their own thoughts and actions around such ideals.
Not simply a sentimental feeling,
Christian gratitude is a virtue that shapes not only emotions and thoughts,
But also actions and deeds.
Jonathan Edwards wrote in his book,
A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections,
That gratitude and thankfulness toward God are among the signs of true religion.
Allport suggested that mature religious intentions come from feelings of profound gratitude.
Edwards claimed that the affection of gratitude is one of the most accurate ways to find the presence of God in a person's life.
In a small sample of Catholic nuns and priests,
Out of 50 emotions,
Love and gratitude were the most experienced emotions towards God.
Pope Francis has noted that one of the lessons generally learned in family life is learning to say thank you as an expression of genuine gratitude for what we have been given.
In the Orthodox,
Catholic,
Lutheran,
And Anglican churches,
The most important rite is called the Eucharist.
The name derives from the Greek word eucharistic,
Meaning thanksgiving.
In the Islamic sacred text,
The Quran is filled with the idea of gratitude.
Islam encourages Muslims to be grateful and to express thanks to Allah in all circumstances.
Muslims commonly express their gratitude using the term Alhamdulillah,
Praise be to God,
Which is one of the four beloved words of Allah.
Even some verses of the Quran indicate that our main duty on this earth is to show our gratitude.
Islamic teaching emphasizes that those who are grateful will be rewarded with more.
A traditional Islamic saying is,
The first who will be summoned to paradise are those who have praised God in every circumstance.
The Quran also states in Surah 14 that those who are grateful will be given more by Allah.
Many practices of Islam encourage gratitude.
For example,
The pillar of Islam that calls for daily prayer encourages believers to pray to Allah five times a day in order to thank Him for His goodness.
And the pillar of fasting during the month of Ramadan is for the purpose of putting the believer in a state of gratitude.
It is important to note that cultural and linguistic factors play a significant role in shaping expressions of gratitude worldwide.
Much research into gratitude focuses on individual differences in gratitude and the consequences of being a more or less grateful person.
Three scales have been developed to measure individual differences in gratitude,
Each of which assesses somewhat different conceptions.
The GQ-6 measures individual differences in how frequently and intensely people feel gratitude.
The Appreciation Scale measures eight different aspects of gratitude.
Appreciation of people,
Possessions,
The present moment,
Rituals,
Feelings of awe,
Social comparisons,
Existential concerns,
And behavior which expresses gratitude.
The Grat assesses gratitude towards other people,
Gratitude towards the world in general,
And a lack of resentment for what you lack.
A study showed that these scales all measure the same way of approaching life.
This suggests that individual differences in gratitude include all of these components.
Gratitude not only contributes to positive emotions,
But it also leads to a reduction in negative emotions.
People who are more grateful have higher levels of subjective well-being.
Grateful people are happier,
Less depressed,
Less stressed,
And more satisfied with their lives and social relationships.
Gratitude may shield against depression by enhancing the encoding and recall of positive experiences.
Grateful people tend to exercise greater levels of control over their environments,
Experience personal growth,
Find purpose in life,
And accept themselves.
They also tend to employ more constructive coping strategies when faced with life's challenges.
They are more likely to seek support from other people,
And to reinterpret and grow from experiences,
And they spend more time planning how to deal with problems.
Grateful people rely less on negative coping mechanisms,
Such as avoidance,
Self-blame,
Or substance abuse.
Grateful people also sleep better,
Because they think more positive thoughts just before going to sleep.
They tend to have better relationships,
As a person's gratitude can positively impact their partner's satisfaction in the relationship.
Grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness,
And lower levels of stress and depression.
Although many emotions and personality traits are important to well-being and mental health,
Gratitude may be especially important.
A longitudinal study showed that people who were more grateful coped better with a life transition.
Specifically,
People who were more grateful before the transition were less stressed,
Less depressed,
And more satisfied with their relationships three months later.
Two other studies suggested that gratitude may have a unique relationship with well-being,
And can explain aspects of well-being that other personality traits cannot.
Both studies showed that gratitude was able to explain more well-being than the Big Five,
And 30 of the most commonly studied personality traits.
Gratitude also has a positive impact on physical well-being.
For example,
In one study,
Teens who wrote letters expressing gratitude to other people over the course of a month were more inclined to eat healthier food.
This phenomenon might be explained by the notion that when people experience gratitude,
They are more motivated to reciprocate the kindness shown by others.
Therefore,
Rather than engaging in behaviors that may undermine their own health,
They feel driven to adopt healthier lifestyles as a way of acknowledging the support they have received from others.
Moreover,
Gratitude is known to trigger positive emotions,
Which in turn direct individuals' attention towards optimistic possibilities in the future.
As a result,
People are more likely to embrace behaviors that are conducive to a better future,
Such as healthy eating.
People who express gratitude also demonstrate improved overall health by way of greater physical activity,
Better sleep,
Fewer healthcare visits,
And better nutrition.
Practicing gratitude may be correlated with small improvements in cardiovascular health.
Gratitude makes people more altruistic.
One study found that gratitude correlates with economic generosity.
The study used an economic game and showed increased gratitude to directly mediate increased monetary giving.
And that grateful people are more likely to sacrifice individual gains for communal profit.
Another study found similar correlations between gratitude and empathy,
Generosity,
And helpfulness towards the creation of social reciprocity,
Even with strangers,
That is beneficial to the individuals in the short and in the middle terms.
Gratitude may reinforce future pro-social behavior and benefactors.
For example,
One experiment found that customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a subsequent 70% increase in purchases.
In comparison,
Customers who were called and told about a sale showed only a 30% increase in purchases,
While customers who were not called at all showed no increase in purchases.
In another study,
A restaurant's regular patrons gave bigger tips when servers wrote thank you on their checks.
Some starkly distinguish between gratitude and indebtedness.
While both emotions may occur in response to help or favors,
Indebtedness is said to occur when an individual subjectively perceives that they are under an obligation to provide repayment or compensation for the aid.
The two emotions then lead to different actions.
Indebtedness may motivate the recipient to avoid the person who helped them,
Whereas gratitude may motivate a recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them.
A study of the feelings of migrant adolescents towards their parents noted that gratitude serves and indebtedness challenges intergenerational relations after migration.
The study also noted that when the expectations of return from the benefactor increase,
Indebtedness of the beneficiary increases,
But gratitude decreases.
Unlike compassion or sadness,
Gratitude decreases cigarette craving,
Suggesting a potential role in public health reductions of appetite risk behaviors.
Several psychological interventions have been developed to increase gratitude.
For example,
Watkins and colleagues had participants test a number of different gratitude exercises,
Such as thinking about a living person for whom they are grateful,
Writing about someone for whom they are grateful,
And writing a letter to deliver to someone for whom they are grateful.
Participants in the control group were asked to describe their living room.
Participants who engaged in a gratitude exercise showed increases in their experiences of positive emotion immediately after the exercise,
And this effect was strongest for participants who were asked to think about a person for whom they are grateful.
Participants who had grateful personalities to begin with showed the greatest benefit from these gratitude exercises.
In another study,
Participants were randomly assigned to one of six therapeutic intervention conditions designed to improve the participants' overall quality of life.
Of these,
The biggest short-term effects came from a gratitude visit,
In which participants wrote and delivered a letter of gratitude to someone in their life.
This condition showed a rise in happiness scores by 10% and a significant fall in depression scores,
Results that lasted up to one month after the visit.
Of the six conditions,
The longest-lasting effects were associated with writing gratitude journals of three things they were grateful for every day.
These participants' happiness scores also increased and continued to increase each time they were tested periodically after the experiment.
The greatest benefits were usually found to occur around six months after treatment began.
This exercise was so successful that,
Although participants were only asked to continue the journal for a week,
Many participants continued to keep the journal long after the study was over.
The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California,
Berkeley,
Offered awards for dissertation-level research projects with the greatest potential to advance the science and practice of gratitude.
A study on the benefits of mental health counseling divided approximately 300 college students into three groups prior to their first counseling session.
The first group was instructed to write one letter of gratitude a week for three weeks.
The second group was asked to write about their negative experiences.
And the third group received only counseling.
When compared,
The first group reported better mental health after completing their writing exercises.
A study suggests that practicing gratitude may help the brain react more sensitively to the experience of gratitude in the future,
And therefore may improve mental health.
Benevolence gladdens constantly the grateful,
The ungrateful,
However,
But once.
Seneca Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues,
But the parent of all others.
Cicero Multiple studies have shown the positive correlation between gratitude and increased well-being,
Not only for the person expressing gratitude,
But for all people involved.
The positive psychology movement embraced these studies,
And in an effort to increase overall well-being,
Has begun to incorporate mental and emotional exercises to increase gratitude.
A gratitude journal is a diary of things for which someone is grateful.
Keeping a gratitude journal is a popular practice in the field of positive psychology.
It is also referred to as counting one's blessings,
Or three good things.
Empirical findings on the benefits of gratitude journals have shown significant impact on psychological and physical well-being.
Early research revealed individuals who regularly documented things they were grateful for experienced heightened optimism,
Increased exercise time,
Fewer physical symptoms,
And greater progress towards goals.
Such benefits were observed in adults with neuromuscular diseases,
Noting improved optimism,
Sleep quality,
And connection to others.
Studies extended to childhood,
Where gratitude practices enhanced life satisfaction and school satisfaction among early adolescents.
Further research highlighted gratitude's neural correlates,
Particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex,
Linked directly to participants' gratitude levels.
Comparative studies on happiness interventions ranked gratitude journals highly for their accessibility and impact on happiness.
Exploration into the content of journals found entries prompting deeper reflection on gratitude's cause significantly enhanced happiness and well-being.
The debate continues regarding optimal frequency of gratitude journaling for maintaining its psychological benefits,
With some evidence favoring weekly over daily journaling.
Most studies concurred that three to ten items per journal entry strikes the best balance between fostering gratitude and avoiding potential boredom.
Early research studies on gratitude journals by Emmons and McCullough found counting one's blessings in a journal led to improved psychological and physical functioning.
Participants who recorded weekly journals,
Each consisting of five things they were grateful for,
Were more optimistic towards the upcoming week and life as a whole,
Spent more time exercising,
And had fewer symptoms of physical illness.
Participants who kept daily gratitude journals reported increased overall gratitude,
Positive effect,
Enthusiasm,
Determination,
And alertness.
They were also more likely to help others and make progress towards their personal goals,
Compared to those who did not keep gratitude journals.
For a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease,
Writing daily gratitude journals for three weeks led to increased optimism about one's life,
Longer and more refreshing sleep,
Greater positive emotions,
And feeling more connected to others.
Overall,
Participants who kept weekly or daily gratitude journals had greater psychological and physical benefits when compared to participants who did not keep gratitude journals.
Furthermore,
The positive effects of gratitude can begin as early as childhood.
A study conducted by Froh,
Cefik,
And Emmons in 2008 examined the effects of a grateful outlook on the subjective well-being of 221 early adolescents in 6th and 7th grade.
The children were asked to count their blessings and set aside time daily to list what they were grateful for.
Results found that counting one's blessings was associated with enhanced self-reported feelings of gratitude,
Optimism,
Life satisfaction,
And decreased negative effect.
Furthermore,
Exhibiting gratitude correlated to long-term satisfaction with school experience.
Another benefit may be that gratitude journals are a relatively easy and enjoyable way to boost happiness.
Parks,
Et al.
,
Found that when presented with eight different happiness interventions,
Gratitude journals were the third most popular,
Preceded by goal evaluation and tracking,
And savoring the moment.
Similarly,
Seligman,
Et al.
,
Found that participants were more likely to continue their Three Good Things exercise on their own,
After the one-week intervention,
Than the other exercises.
And this lack of attrition mediated the link between the exercise and its benefits.
In light of the body of literature on the benefits of gratitude journals,
Researchers have investigated how to maximize these benefits.
One study investigating the efficacy of a number of happiness interventions instructed participants to complete gratitude journals either once or three times per week.
Results indicated that weekly gratitude journals led to a significant increase in happiness,
But thrice-weekly gratitude journals did not.
This study compared the gratitude intervention to a different activity in which participants completed five acts of kindness,
Either all in one day or spread out over the week.
The results for this activity were remarkably similar to the results of the gratitude journals.
Those in the single-day condition reported a significant increase in well-being,
While those who spread their acts of kindness across several days did not.
The authors suggested that spreading out these happiness-boosting activities,
Gratitude or kindness,
May have diminished their saliency or their novelty.
These results suggest that a once-weekly gratitude journal is most beneficial.
Seligman,
Et al.
,
Examined the effects of a similar intervention over a longer period of time.
Participants were instructed to write down three good things that happened at the end of each day,
In addition to a causal explanation for each good thing.
After completing this activity every day for a week,
Participants began to report more happiness and less depression after one month,
An effect that remained as three- and six-month follow-ups.
The beneficial effects of the three-good-things exercise lasted longer than effects of other week-long interventions.
Writing about yourself at your best,
Identifying significant strengths,
And delivering a letter of gratitude.
Results suggest that gratitude journals may have a greater long-term impact than other happiness interventions.
However,
The long-term benefits of weekly versus daily gratitude journaling remains unclear.
Some research has found that gratitude journal entries that address and answer the questions,
Why am I grateful for this?
Why did this good thing happen?
Are exceptionally beneficial because they cause the individual to think about and recognize their gratitude and its cause.
Some studies have had participants use a template for writing in their journal entry.
Following the I am grateful for ____ because ____ template has been shown to result in increased happiness and subjective well-being.
Having deeper,
More personal things to be grateful for yields greater happiness and increased gratitude.
Researchers disagree as to whether it is more beneficial to keep a weekly or daily gratitude journal.
Some studies suggest daily gratitude journals produce larger increases in overall gratitude levels than weekly journals.
However,
Other researchers believe that weekly journaling is best because people can adapt to the effects of daily journaling too quickly and lose the most beneficial effects of gratitude journals.
One study found that people who kept weekly journals had benefits greater than those who kept daily journals.
While another study found that weekly gratitude journals resulted in higher levels of happiness than thrice-weekly gratitude journals.
While certain effects may differ slightly for weekly and daily gratitude journals,
Both have proven to be beneficial for psychological well-being.
Most studies investigating gratitude journals have found that including three to ten items in each journal entry yields the most beneficial results.
While the majority of research has participants only write three things in their journal per entry,
Some studies have found that even writing ten items per entry yields positive results for the author.
However,
Researchers suggest that writing too many items per entry above ten will actually not yield the typical psychological benefits of a gratitude journal.
With a higher number of items to record,
The task of writing in a gratitude journal can become too tedious to individuals to comply with.
Psychologist Robert Emmons believes humans adapt to positive changes quickly,
And too many and too frequent gratitude journal entries will not have the same beneficial effects as shorter,
Less frequent entries.
Including more than ten items may even take away the salience of recognizing what there is to be grateful for in daily life.
