Science of Thanksgiving Gratitude: 4 Real Benefits

A day to give thanks, a plentiful bounty. As Thanksgiving approaches, I’d like to share a different perspective on giving thanks; 4 real benefits of gratitude; an Appreciation exercise; a free in-depth e-book The Appreciative Heart and, of course, wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving Day in the United States and (did you know?) in Brazil is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November as a day of gratitude for the nations’ harvests. The holiday dates back nearly four centuries to the pilgrims in America, and just four decades in Brazil, where in 1949 the Brazilian ambassador in Washington D.C., so liked the holiday that he took the idea home, where it was promptly adopted.

Thanksgiving was celebrated in Canada on the second Monday of October this year, as it has been since 1957, to offer thanks at the end of the harvest season. Chung Ch’ui in China and Chuseok in Korea are major three-day national thanksgiving harvest festivals whose date of celebration varies slightly each year during the nations’ harvest seasons. Among other countries that celebrate a national day of thanks are Australia, part of India, Japan, Liberia and Malaysia. Many other nations hold a variety of events to express gratitude for their nations’ harvests.

Institute of HeartMath Feeds Food for Thought with Science of Thanksgiving Gratitude

Measuring someone’s gratitude is quite literally possible with today’s cutting-edge science and technology. So how exactly do you measure gratitude — scientifically?

Offering some food for thought this Thanksgiving — apart from the HeartMath Kitchen’s Southern Turnip Mash, Vegetarian Rice Dressing, and Festive Fall Salad — the Institute of HeartMath^®(IHM), a recognized leader in researching the physiology of emotions, is serving up a belt-buster when it comes to the latest understanding of gratitude.

(coming up – level of coherence )

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Joe R.

5:33AM PDT on May 21, 2012

Thanks.

send a green star

J.L. A.

9:26AM PDT on May 10, 2012

gratitude enhances each and every day

Emil P.

3:11AM PDT on Apr 23, 2012

Thank you for this great article .It is very good gesture to keep awaremess
to say thank you from childhood .Thank You

Heather M.

1:48AM PDT on Apr 1, 2012

I remember as a child we had a thankgiving day once a year called the Harvest Festival. This occurred in the then Methodist Church in Australia. I loved it. Everyone brought some item of produce - I remember large pumpkins of different colours, corn cobbs, sacks of potatoes, and lots of tins. It was all gathered together and then given to those in need. There was something very special about that day, the atmosphere, the giving of everyone, it was wonderful.. And though I was a very little girl I remember it with excitement and joy. It is great to give thanks and to give..Good for ones soul I believe.

1:35AM PDT on Mar 28, 2012

Parents duty to teach children to say Thank you when some one offer a present or a wor of apprecation Thank for the useful article

Ra S.

11:02AM PST on Feb 29, 2012

I tend to prefer appreciation to gratitude. I think it's about noticing the good things in your life, valuing them, and not taking them for granted - which to me is what appreciation is all about. I've heard people refer to it as mindful living. For example, I usually notice every night that I have comfortable sheeets and the pillow that I like. Both purchases were made years ago, but I still value them and actively appreciate them. Most people seem to stop noticing the good things they acquired, and so they get less joy from their purchases. The same principles obviously apply to noticing friends and loved ones, but I think that's fairly obvious as the importance of not taking people for granted is so important that it does get mentioned a lot.

Hannah L.

1:08PM PST on Jan 30, 2012

Thanks for sharing

Peter M.

5:40AM PST on Jan 28, 2012

thanks for sharing

Daphne H.

6:06AM PST on Jan 25, 2012

Just think and thank all that provided the orange you ate this morning (the planter/sun/earth/rain/caretaker/harvester/packer/trucker/store clerks etc.) or the chair you are sitting in ... you get the idea:)

Nina A.

5:56AM PST on Jan 14, 2012

thanks for sharing this