Could experiencing gratitude boost one's longevity?

A study published in JAMA Psychiatry is one of the first to provide empirical evidence indicating an association between a grateful affect and longevity. Harvard Pop Center faculty member Laura Kubzansky is one of the authors on this population-based cohort study of nearly 50,000 older female registered nurses that used self-reported questionnaires and medical records.

According to this news post by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:

“The study found that participants whose Gratitude Questionnaire scores were in the highest tertile had a 9% lower risk of all-cause mortality over the following four years than those who scored in the bottom tertile. Gratitude appeared protective against every specific cause of mortality studied, most significantly against cardiovascular disease.”