Experiencing Gratitude Tied to Longevity in Older Women
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 8, 2024 -- Experiencing gratitude is associated with greater longevity in older women, according to a study published online July 3 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Ying Chen, Sc.D., from the Human Flourishing Program at the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues examined the association between gratitude and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in later life. The analysis included data from 49,275 U.S. older female registered nurses (mean age, 79 years) who participated in the Nurses' Health Study (2016 to 2019).
The researchers found that greater gratitude at baseline was associated with a lower hazard of mortality in a monotonic fashion. The highest versus lowest tertile of gratitude was associated with a lower hazard of all-cause deaths (hazard ratio, 0.91), after adjusting for baseline sociodemographic characteristics, social participation, religious involvement, physical health, lifestyle factors, cognitive function, and mental health. Death from cardiovascular disease was also inversely associated with gratitude (hazard ratio, 0.85).
"Prior research indicates that there are ways of intentionally fostering gratitude, such as writing down or discussing what you are grateful for a few times a week," Chen said in a statement. "Promoting healthy aging is a public health priority, and we hope further studies will improve our understanding of gratitude as psychological resource for enhancing longevity."
One author disclosed ties to Flourishing Metrics.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
![](/img/logo/vendor/healthday-logo.png)
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Prevalence of Skin Cancer Varies for Sexual Minority, Heterosexual Adults
FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- With respect to their lifetime prevalence of skin cancer, sexual minority (SM) adults differ across racial and ethnic groups and among males and females...
Concussions in Children Less Likely to Be Related to Sport
FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- For children aged 5 through 12 years with concussion, recreation-related concussion (RRC) and non-sport or recreation-related concussion (non-SRRC) occur...
Neighborhood Disadvantage Metrics Tied to Stress Genes in Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- Expression of several stress-related genes in prostate tumors is elevated among men residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.