Scientists are saying that gratitude can boost our physical health as much as it can our mental state or relationships.

Studies have linked living a thankful life to fewer aches and pains, better sleep, and more.  Making gratitude a daily practice is like taking a vitamin, like an actual vitamin, making your body work better.  The deep, long-lasting power of gratitude is blissfully simple to harness.

A 2015 study found that subjects who kept gratitude journals for just two weeks slept better and had lower blood pressure readings.  Amazingly, even people who are very sick can benefit from feeling grateful: In one study, older adults who had early-stage heart failure had more consistent heart rates as well as lower levels of disease-causing inflammation when they regularly kept gratitude journals.

Ways to feel more grateful