3 Reasons Why Gratitude Is a Superpower

And 3 Ways You Can Access It

You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.”

–Elizabeth Gilbert

If you were a superhero, what superpower would you like to possess?

Maybe you would love to be able to fly. Perhaps you prefer to become invisible or to be able to mindread. Perhaps, you would like to become indestructible.

While it is doubtful that you will be given one of those superpowers, you have access to the one superpower available to us all but that only a few know how to use.

That superpower is gratitude.

By developing gratitude, you can enhance your physical and mental well-being, improve your relationships, and even advance in your chosen career.

Develop one skill to improve all areas of your life? Sounds like a superpower to me 😎.

If you want to know more about gratitude’s potential to change your life and how you can access this superpower, read on.

In this article, I will give you three reasons why gratitude is a superpower and follow that up with tips for accessing that superpower to improve your quality of life.

3 Reasons Why Gratitude Is A Superpower

1. Gratitude Rewires Your Brain And Helps You Attract What You Want

Why is gratitude so hard to access? Simple. Because your brain is hardwired to focus on the negatives. Scientist calls this “negativity bias.”

This means that your brain is wired to look for negatives and store negative experiences more easily than positive ones.

This behavior is a remnant of our evolution and a survival mechanism. Negativity bias was a means to protect ourselves from danger.

And how can you overcome your tendencies to focus on the negatives? By consciously practicing gratitude.

When you make an effort to focus on the positives and develop a gratitude practice, you can rewire your brain.

The more you actively focus on positive experiences, the easier it will become to be grateful. And when you are thankful, you are tapping into other positive emotions and raising your overall happiness.

You can not be grateful and experience negative emotions at the same time.

Just try it.

Try to be genuinely grateful for something and at the same time feel resentment, anger, or envy. It’s impossible.

When you are thankful, you attract more things you get to appreciate. What you focus on expands.

Focus on lack, and you attract more lack.

Focus on the blessings in your life, and you attract more blessings.

2. Gratitude Improves Your Relationships

Gratitude’s superpower effects extend beyond yourself. Research has shown that gratitude improves relational well-being.

It makes sense when you think about it.

When you are happier, healthier, and more relaxed, people naturally want to spend more time with you. By focusing on what you love about the people in your life instead of the little things that might annoy you, you will experience more fulfilling relationships.

I found that when I consciously started to focus more on the positive traits of the people in my life, I began to feel more connected towards them, more loving, and more forgiving.

My relationships improved massively.

When you express gratitude to your partner or your friends, you strengthen the bonds you have with them. Telling your spouse you are grateful for her patience or sense of humor makes them feel appreciated and loved.

Science also points to the possibility that gratitude strengthens our social bonds. For example, a study by Wood et al. (2018) suggests that gratitude enhances your social support during difficult times.

Better yet, you might not even need as much social support during times of turmoil in the first place when you are practicing gratitude.

3. Gratitude Can Lead To Better Mental And Physical Health

While the science on gratitude and health is still young, research suggests you can reap various health benefits when you practice gratitude.

For example, one study showed how depressive patients reduced their symptoms by gratitude journaling. The effects lasted as long as the patients kept up their journaling practice.

But practicing gratitude can also improve your sleep quality, reduce anxiety and improve heart health.

Grateful people generally seem to lead healthier lifestyles, and the stress-reducing effects of gratitude seem to benefit the body indirectly.

How To Cultivate Gratitude

Cultivating a mindset of gratitude is a constant practice. You can make it a habit like exercising regularly, meditating, or working on a creative project.

Here are my favorite gratitude practices that I incorporate into my life.

1. Keep A Gratitude Journal

Keeping a gratitude journal is probably the most commonly used gratitude practice.

Set aside time every day to journal about the blessings in your life. Some people like to do it at night to review the day. I always do it first thing in the morning.

I give thanks for the new day and that I can experience another day on this planet, and that I woke up in peace. I also give thanks for the experiences and miracles of the previous day.

Sometimes, I feel a deep sense of gratitude that I have the quiet of the early mornings and the time to write out my thoughts.

You don’t have to write out complete sentences. Some people simply create a list of five things they are grateful for.

The format of the gratitude journal is not essential. It is only important that you establish the practice. It is maybe the most potent way to increase your gratitude levels.

2. Give Thanks Before Meals

I try to give thanks before I start a meal. I tend not to have regular breakfast or lunch breaks, so I often forget it when I snack during work. However, I usually remember it when I have dinner since I take a proper dinner break.

I give thanks for the meal and pray that it will heal and nourish my body.

You don’t have to be religious to do this. I am not religious myself.

However, I found this a great way to remember how far I have come and how lucky I am not to be eating the food that nourishes my body.

As a child, I have experienced not eating my fill at dinner, and I have experienced how food can transform my health.

I have found this practice to be a great reminder not to take food or health for granted and to remind myself how lucky I am to be living the life I am living right now.

3. Give Thanks Throughout The Day For Small Miracles

This one takes a lot of mindfulness and staying present. At the same time, it also teaches you how to stay in the present moment.

Whenever you encounter small miracles throughout the day, simply say “thank you.”

For example, when I find money on the street — no matter how tiny the amount — I say “thank you.” I am genuinely happy about finding 1 cent on the street because I view it as signs from the universe. I know there is more where this came from.

I also give thanks when the traffic light turns green just at the right time, when someone likes and comments on my articles, or when there is a discount on my favorite foods.

All of these are tiny miracles, and I try to give thanks for all of them.

Of course, I am not always present and mindful enough to notice all the good life offers me, and I don’t always remember giving thanks.

But this gratitude practice is like running, meditating, or writing — there are days when it’s hard, days when you might stop and give up.

But every day is a chance to practice again.