Is Gratitude Good Medicine for Body and Soul?

In the 1970s, a black-and-white poster of a kitten dangling from a bamboo stick swept the nation with its simple yet inspirational message of “Hang in there, baby.”

For many, the poster’s message inspired them to push through adversity, with some saying it even gave them the strength to recover from illness. Indeed, studies have shown that gratitude and positive thinking can enhance coping for those facing health challenges.

But Lakeshia Cousin, Ph.D., APRN, an assistant professor at the UF College of Nursing, is asking a deeper question: Does gratitude heal?

Cousin’s research builds on the well-established mind-body connection. While numerous studies have explored the psychological benefits of gratitude — reduced stress, improved mood, stronger social bonds — few have investigated its potential physical effects. Cousin is interested in whether practicing gratitude can influence the body on a cellular level, potentially aiding in the healing process and changing health behaviors.

“I want to know if being grateful can affect your immune system and impact health behavioral changes,” Cousin said. “Are there changes in biomarkers after gratitude interventions? I hope my research will demonstrate the broader impact of gratitude; beyond the psychosocial benefits we already understand.”

A pilot study she conducted last year with a small group of Black breast cancer survivors yielded promising results. Participants either journaled, practiced mindfulness, or took walks, and had blood drawn before and after these short interventions.

“There was a small but noticeable difference in lower inflammatory biomarkers and other indicators,” Cousin says. “It’s promising, but we need more data.”

Charlene Chase participated in the pilot study. Chase, an associate professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at UF/IFAS, said her journaling exercises notably helped reduce her stress.

“I was going through a tough time and journaling and focusing on the positive really helped me realize that no day was ever really as bad as I thought,” she said. “Reflecting on the positive things really helped lower my stress.”

While she can’t attest to her short experience helping her physical health, she is interested in finding out if gratitude can help heal.

“To be honest, I did not keep up with the journaling, but looking back now at how it helped, I am inclined to pick it up again,” she said.

The theory is that gratitude helps reduce stress, which in turn lowers the body's inflammatory response. However, with only 26 participants, Cousin acknowledges that her findings are preliminary. She is now seeking funding for a larger, longer clinical trial to explore the effects more fully.

Cousin’s interest in gratitude as a potential healing tool began when she was a nurse in a transplant unit. She observed that patients who received new organs — and a second chance at life — seemed more grateful and more likely to follow medical instructions.

This sparked a question: Were these patients' positive outcomes driven by their gratefulness, or could the act of being grateful contribute to their recovery?

To investigate, Cousin reviewed existing research on gratitude’s impact on biomarkers. She found only a few studies, mostly conducted on white male participants, that showed some correlation between gratitude and reductions in inflammation and other biomarkers.

To be more inclusive, Cousin chose to focus on Black women who had survived breast cancer and had other co-morbidities, such as heart disease or diabetes. Of the 26 participants, half completed regular gratitude exercises, while the other half received traditional health education and support. Before the intervention, participants were surveyed to measure baseline gratitude levels.

Cousin hopes her research will shed light on the potential for gratitude to promote not just emotional well-being, but also tangible health benefits — especially for underserved populations who have historically been underrepresented in medical research.

Whatever the research’s outcome, Cousin practices gratitude exercises herself and encourages others to join her. It does not have to be a deep process, she said.

“I always tell people the easiest way to be grateful is to sit back and appreciate what you have, and you realize you have so much more,” Cousin said. “It is a very simple process to take one to five minutes a day to be grateful. It could be as simple as being grateful for the clouds or for the sunshine.”