The umpteenth academic article on the advantages of being grateful is published; on this occasion, "A multinational megastudy of the effects of gratitude practices on subjective well-being", in the journal Psychological and Cognitive Sciences.Since 2004, Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough published The Psychology of Gratitude, a wide range of studies has been conducted on the benefits of being grateful for general health and well-being. Being grateful reduces cortisol, activates the vagus nerve and increases endorphins, making you happier and calmer. It makes you sleep better. It reduces the risk of suffering from a psychiatric pathology. It also makes your general health state better. It even contributes to prolonging life, concludes a study that was echoed by an opinion article published in ARA it's been a while.With the best of intentions, positive psychology has progressively incorporated gratitude into the portfolio of emotions to be promoted in order to feel better, granting it a particularly privileged place, because being grateful is free and within everyone's reach, as suggested by the article in ARA. If all these benefits are true, it encouraged us, let's go for it. After all, the gratitude studies insist, everyone has something to be grateful for, even if it's a ray of sunshine on a winter morning.Thus, it quickly moved from theory to practice. Coaches on social media and self-help books began to promote “gratitude practices”. Nowadays, they are still full of them. Write “gratitude letters” to people towards whom you feel special gratitude, or pay them “gratitude visits” to express your emotion. But, in reality, the other person doesn't need to know, some remind you, because the positive effect that this practice has on your neurotransmitters is the same. Simply, buy yourself a blank notebook and turn it into a “gratitude journal”. Or every day, before going to sleep, mentally review three things for which you are grateful. The results will not be long in coming. It's not just that you will feel better, but your material life will also notice it: if you are grateful, your business success will increase, according to American coach Tony Robbins on his blog.

“You have to prioritize yourself”. Ours is a time when recommendations to focus on oneself are proliferating. “You have bent over backwards too much for other people who bring you nothing”. These are ideas that circulate in cafes with friends, on social media, and in self-help books, but also in the consultations of many psychologists. “Enough of always trying to satisfy the desires of others instead of your own”.

"Have you already thanked him, Mr. Zelensky?" the vice president of the United States asked the president of Ukraine a few days ago. Some say that gratitude is an emotion, others argue that it is a virtue, and there are even those who propose that it is a moral sentiment. But, in any case, for all of them, expressing gratitude is a good practice both for the reasons that drive us to do so and for its effects.

"Have you said thank you yet, Mr. Zelensky?" the vice president of the United States asked the president of Ukraine a few days ago. Some say that gratitude is an emotion, others argue that it is a virtue, and there are even those who propose that it is a moral sentiment. But, in any case, for all of them, expressing gratitude is a good practice both for the reasons that drive us to do so and for its effects.