According to research led by Christopher Oveis, an associate professor at the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management, expressing gratitude doesn’t just make others feel good. It can strengthen relationships, reduce stress and even help your body perform better under pressure.

“Gratitude is powerful because it benefits everyone involved — the person who expresses it, the person who receives it, and even those who witness it,” said Oveis, who studies the biological and social effects of positive emotions. “When you feel it, say it. Let the gratitude out.”

Here are five science-backed reasons to do just that.

21 November 2025 / Kiel / Balboa. Today, the German research vessel SONNE departs from Balboa (Panama) on a five-week expedition along the Central American Volcanic Arc. Under the leadership of PD Dr Steffen Kutterolf from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, researchers will investigate how climate change and volcanic activity are interconnected, and how chemical changes in volcanic products in sediments affect the global carbon cycle and the biosphere. The cruise also serves as a pre-site survey for a planned drilling proposal within the framework of the International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP³).

Politics can be a stressful discussion topic, but when the holiday season arrives, political chatter is difficult to avoid, especially in a world that feels polarized and divided. A Baylor College of Medicine psychiatrist explains how to discuss politics in a calm manner among family, friends and colleagues.