Gifts for the Soul: Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice

Gaze upon gratitude and you’ll find that it’s a virtue with incredible depth and power.

– Dr. Pam King

How do we change our minds for the better?

Much of what we strive for in the pursuit of happiness and in living a love-centered, moral life depends on how we respond to what has been given to us. Viewed through the lens of gratitude, most of life itself can be seen as a gift: the upbringing provided by parents or guardians, the love and connection of friendship, or life itself. Every action, ability, memory, possession, and relationship that helps us flourish is supported by the grace of others.

Gratitude is recognizing the good in what brings benefit to our lives, things we could not obtain on our own. (1) It can be something small, like a meal grown by farmers and prepared with care, the delight of seeing beauty in the world, or the joy sparked by another person’s smile. It can also be profound: the birth of a child, a life-changing achievement, redemption through restored faith, or the safety that comes through the sacrifices of others.

Gratitude runs deep in human experience and is so essential that it is often expected in our culture. It is a virtue and a goal across all major faith traditions, and one of the strongest contributors to happiness, healthy relationships, and spiritual well-being. (1) (2) (3) (4)

Because of this, gratitude is worth cultivating intentionally through spiritual and religious practices. In this post, we’ll explore how gratitude changes the mind for the better and how religious and spiritual traditions can guide us into regular practices of thankfulness.

Gratitude Can Change Your Mind

Seeing the good in life and striving to create more of it is a hallmark of living well, and it is the defining characteristic of gratitude. Gratitude is the feeling that arises when we recognize the intention or sacrifice others have made for our benefit. It is also a state of mind we can carry throughout life by acknowledging the work of others, the profundity of nature, the grace of God, and the world in shaping the lives we lead.

Gratitude does not just feel good. It can actually change our minds. Neuroscientists have found that gratitude, when experienced in everyday moments and intentionally practiced, reshapes how our brains make connections. Gratitude activates prosocial neural pathways that make us more likely to think and act with others’ welfare in mind. (5) (6) This brain response also encourages us to return to the people, places, and practices that spark gratitude, creating an upward spiral of positivity through repeated, intentional interactions. (7)

Psychologists describe this as part of the broaden-and-build effect of positive emotions. (7) Gratitude, like joy, awe, or compassion, broadens our awareness. It opens us to new possibilities, helps us notice the good in others, and supports wiser, more generous choices. (1) (7) Over time, these repeated moments of gratitude build enduring strengths such as stable mindsets, healthier coping strategies, stronger relationships, supportive communities, and more resilient faith. (1) (4) Taken together, gratitude transforms us in both small, everyday ways and larger life directions, collectively guiding us toward greater spiritual health and moral character.

How Moments of Gratitude Build Character

Gratitude is both an essential emotion and a strength of moral character. Psychologists describe it as a transcendent quality because it orients us beyond the self. (8) (9) When we feel grateful, our attention shifts outward toward the people, communities, or even the universe or God who made something good possible in our lives. As an emotion, gratitude is often experienced as warmth, comfort, or humility in response to another’s intention or sacrifice. These everyday experiences of emotional gratitude nudge us into more positive mindsets that support wise choices and steady moral decision-making. Most gratitude practices can be done in only a few minutes daily.

Over time, repeated sparks of gratitude begin to form patterns in our minds and bodies. Neuroscience research suggests that gratitude activates prosocial neural networks, making us more likely to think and act with others’ welfare in mind. When these networks are engaged often, gratitude becomes a more automatic response to the goodness we perceive. This shift helps us sustain regular thoughts, prayers, and practices of thanks. Small expressions such as saying thank you, offering a blessing before meals, or writing a note of appreciation reinforce the habit and further orient us toward seeing life as a gift.

As gratitude becomes a habit, it settles more deeply into character. What begins as a fleeting emotion becomes a stable trait that guides intentions, decisions, and actions. At this point, gratitude is not just something we feel but something we embody as part of our identity. (1) It is recognized as a religious virtue because it consistently directs us toward self-transcendence, connecting us to something larger than ourselves and motivating us to respond with care, love, humility, and generosity. In this way, moments of gratitude accumulate and gradually shape who we are, allowing us to live moral and spiritually healthy lives grounded in virtue.

Gratitude Across Faith Traditions

There is no faith without gratitude.

– Dr. Mona Siddiqui

If you practice a faith tradition, you’re in luck! Research shows religious individuals experience more gratitude and regularly express thankfulness toward both people and God. (10) (11) Spiritual stories, ethical teachings, rituals, and everyday practices draw on gratitude to strengthen connection with others and with the divine. The examples below illustrate how gratitude arises across faith traditions and sects, revealing a common value that transcends religious boundaries.

Buddhism. “A person of integrity is grateful and thankful.” –Buddha. In Buddhism, gratitude is rooted in awareness of interdependence, recognizing that one’s life is sustained by countless others and by the web of existence itself. It is tied to humility and compassion, often cultivated in meditation practices like metta (loving-kindness) and through honoring teachers and ancestors.

Christianity. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Gratitude in Christianity is a central value, expressed most clearly in the Eucharist, which literally means “thanksgiving.” It is seen as a response to God’s grace. It shapes both personal prayer and communal worship. Common practices include saying grace at meals, psalms and prayers of thanksgiving, and testimonies of thanks within community life.

Hinduism. In Hinduism, gratitude is tied to kshama (forgiveness) and dharma (righteous duty), and is often framed as reverence for the divine order sustaining life. It is expressed ritually through puja (offerings of food, flowers, incense) and through festivals like Diwali and Pongal that celebrate abundance and divine provision with gratitude.

Islam. “He who does not thank people has not thanked Allah.” – Sunan Abi Dawud 4811. In Islam, gratitude (shukr) is formally positioned as half of faith (alongside patience). It is woven into daily rituals such as beginning prayers with Alhamdulillah (“praise and thanks be to God”), giving zakat (almsgiving), and voluntary acts of charity.

Judaism. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1. In Judaism, gratitude is a moral and spiritual obligation, often described as hakarat ha-tov (“recognizing the good”). It is built into ritual life, from the Modeh Ani prayer upon waking to the practice of reciting 100 blessings a day. Festivals like Sukkot and prayers of thanksgiving highlight gratitude as central to the relationship with God and to Jewish identity itself.

Indigenous Traditions. “We thank the Great Spirit for the food that we eat, for the shelter we have, and for the life we live.” – Lakota Prayer. Gratitude in indigenous value systems often emphasizes harmony with the natural world. It is commonly expressed in rituals such as harvest ceremonies, storytelling, and communal feasts that honor the Creator, ancestors, and the land.

How Gratitude Shapes Spiritual Health

Gratitude touches every part of spiritual health:

Transcendence and Spirituality: Gratitude draws us beyond ourselves to appreciate the goodness that connects us to the world, often through other forms of transcendence like hope, awe, love, and moral beauty. By feeling grateful, we naturally connect to something larger than ourselves and experience a deeper sense of God, the divine or the universe.
Habits & Rhythms: Gratitude can be both a daily habit and a seasonal rhythm. Daily gratitude habits like morning prayers or noticing small blessings create a steady mindset of thankfulness. Larger gratitude rhythms, like Thanksgiving, pilgrimages, and spiritual festivals, deepen the role of gratitude in community life.
Relationships and Community: Gratitude often arises in response to the kindness of others, and expressing gratitude helps deepen trust, intimacy, and closeness in our relationships with others and God. By acknowledging and appreciating what others do for us, we build closer bonds and more supportive spiritual communities.
Identity & Narrative: Are you a grateful person? When gratitude becomes part of our identity, we begin to build stories about ourselves as someone who lives with thankfulness. These identity-shaping stories, which signal deeper virtue, make us more attentive to the blessings around us and more inclined to offer thanks to God and others.
Vocation & Purpose: Striving to make a difference in others’ lives is itself a lived practice of gratitude. Gratitude precedes purpose, because it helps us first recognize the good in the world and then inspires us to use our unique strengths to promote more goodness.
Ethics & Virtues: When practiced consistently, gratitude can become a virtue that guides us toward fairness, humility, patience, loyalty, optimism, and kindness. In this way, gratitude supports the growth of other strengths and helps us live with greater integrity.

Grateful Practices for A Fuller Heart

Practicing gratitude can take shape in three distinct but connected ways: feeling grateful, expressing gratitude, and receiving gratitude. (1) Each plays an important role in how gratitude grows in our lives and is associated with distinct benefits and spiritual practices.

Feeling Gratitude

Feeling grateful is the inner experience of noticing and savoring the good in life. It can be as simple as counting your blessings, pausing to enjoy a positive moment, or acknowledging that something has been given to you as a gift. Feeling gratitude leads to: (1) (4)

Better moods. It can make you feel more open, creative, and energized.
Better physical health; for example, it lowers cortisol levels, which is the body’s stress response. It can also help lower your blood pressure and improve your immune system!
More intimacy and positivity in relationships, which can strengthen trust and closeness.

There are so many things to be grateful for, here are some of the most common ones: (1) (2) (10)

Supportive friends, mentors, faith communities, and family relationships.
Momentary positive experiences like a song or food that brings positive feelings, a reason to laugh, or the satisfaction you get from comfort, excitement, or peace of mind.
A new achievement: a religious milestone, starting a family, learning a new skill, getting a promotion, marriage, buying a house, or graduating.
Transcendent experiences: intimacy with God, experiences of natural or moral beauty, feeling or seeing love, hope, or awe (through epiphanies, music, experiences of vastness).

Expressing Gratitude

Expressing gratitude is the outward act of giving thanks. This may be through prayer and thanksgiving to God, or by telling another person directly how much their kindness or support has meant. When expressed authentically, gratitude can create a resonating effect of positivity, where others experience the benefits of receiving gratitude and feel more welcomed, trust, authenticity, and satisfaction in your relationship, no matter how small. Genuinely expressing gratitude leads to: (1) (3)

Higher quality connections. People see you as authentic and want to be around you.
Better physical (e.g., lower blood pressure) and mental health (e.g., less anxiety).
Spiritual growth when expressing gratitude towards God or a higher power.

You can express gratitude through: saying thank you, smiling, charity, praise and prayer. If you’d like, check out a new song, called Gratitude, centered on expressing gratitude towards God.

Receiving Gratitude

Receiving gratitude is the experience of being thanked by others. While less under our direct control, it has a powerful effect. When someone recognizes our actions with gratitude, it strengthens our sense of identity and reinforces the story we tell ourselves about being a person who contributes to the good of others. It also makes us want to be around that person more. Receiving gratitude us leads to: (1) (5)

Form a personal story that we matter in the lives of others. It connects us.
More prosocial behaviors. You reciprocate positivity through service to others.
Better physical (e.g., lower blood pressure) and mental health (e.g., resilience)

Gratitude can be stirred in others through small acts of kindness, charitable giving, and consistent service. For your own spiritual health, the key is to offer thanks sincerely and to serve faithfully. In doing so, gratitude naturally grows to create communities marked by joy and reciprocity.

Want more specific religious and spiritual practices to try out? See:

Additional Resources

References

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Krause, N. (2006). Gratitude toward god, stress, and health in late life. Research on Aging, 28(2), 163–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027505284048
Diniz, G., Korkes, L., Tristão, L. S., Pelegrini, R., Bellodi, P. L., & Bernardo, W. M. (2023). The effects of gratitude interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (São Paulo), 21. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2023rw0371
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King, P. E., Baer, R. A., Noe, S. A., Trudeau, S., Mangan, S. A., & Constable, S. R. (2022). Shades of gratitude: Exploring varieties of transcendent beliefs and experience. Religions, 13(11), 1091. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111091
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