Ever since Sarah Ban Breathnach, the author of Simple Abundance, began appearing as a regular guest on Oprah, keeping a gratitude journal has become the thing to do. The practice of writing down five things that we are grateful for each day is a simple, and according to recent research is healing as well.

In an article in the Winter Issue of Spirituality & Health, Robert A. Emmons reports that during a study he conducted at the University of California, Davis, subjects who counted their blessings, both large and small:

• felt better about their lives,
• were more optimistic about the near future,
• felt more inclined to help others with personal problems,
• exercised more and
• reported fewer physical symptoms than did subjects who wrote about stressful or neutral events.

Emmons also found that the subjects who wrote down what they were thankful for on a daily basis experienced more benefits than did those who wrote once a week.

The research was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.