I hadn’t thought about Dr. Robert Emmons in a long time, but a few weeks ago, a New York Times article referred to a psychology colleague who is doing some fascinating research on the topic of gratitude. Emmons, a social psychologist at the University of California-Davis, studied the benefits of paying attention to the goodness in our lives and cultivating a practice of acknowledging its existence, publishing the research in his 2003 landmark study on the benefits of gratitude.

The 200 subjects in his study were divided into three groups and each person was asked to journal once a week for ten weeks. The “Hassles” group was asked to record five incidents that were annoying or bothersome, the “Events” group was asked to record five incidents that had any kind of impact on their week, and the “Gratitude” group was asked to record incidents for which they were thankful. Subjects also completed a checklist of physical symptoms, noted the amount of time spent exercising, and provided mood ratings, including how they felt about their week.

Compared to the other two groups, subjects in the “Gratitude” group exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, and felt better about their week as a whole.

Emmons’ work inspired a large body of similar research, as well as a great deal of popular press. Numerous studies have found that an attitude of “counting your blessings” and expressing gratitude to others has a positive effect on emotional health, as well as interpersonal relationships.

In addition, subsequent research has found that after journaling on a regular basis, subjects were more likely to report that they helped someone with a personal problem or offered emotional support to another. A practice of gratitude has even been associated with positive health outcomes such as lower blood pressure and inflammation, and better sleep.

I first heard about Emmons’ work several decades ago on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” after he published, “The Psychology of Gratitude.” Oprah encouraged her viewers to start cultivating a practice of gratitude by doing a daily journal. I followed her instructions to write down three things for which I was grateful each day. They didn’t have to be of earth-shattering importance, they didn’t have to be profound, they didn’t have to be described in long paragraphs—they simply had to be something for which I felt thankful. So some days it was “chocolate ice cream,” or “an unexpected cancellation on my patient schedule,” and of course, some days it had a bit more gravitas, like gratitude for my niece’s final chemo treatment, or an unexpected, undeserved kindness.

I’ve continued my gratitude journal, off and on, for more than 20 years. Although I wish I was seeing an increase in my exercise routine, I like to think that paying attention to gratitude has made me a better person—a better wife, sister, aunt, co-worker, and friend. What I do know for sure is that I pay more attention to blessings large and small, and I end most days in quiet awe of how many there are.

What’s something for which you were grateful today?

Write it down.

Find a pretty journal book, if you like those kinds of things… and if not, a plain old sticky note will do.

Then do it again, tomorrow. And the next day. See what happens.

Know that I’m grateful for you!