Health
Grateful children make parents happier and less stressed, new study suggests
Parents aim to teach their children good manners by saying “please” and “thank you” from an early age – but these polite words, plus other actions, may mean much more than people realize.
Particularly when parents hear “thank you” from their children, they may experience improved mental well-being and less stress, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology.
The study involved 593 parents of children ranging in age from 4 to 17 years old.
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The parents — who were either married or in romantic relationships — completed a survey regarding the impact of gratitude within their family unit.
Data was assessed regarding two groups of children — 4 to 12 years and 13 to 17 years — to determine if a child’s age impacted the parents’ feelings of gratitude.
Gratitude from both older and younger children is linked to lower parental stress, a new study found. In addition, gratitude appears to have a greater impact on mothers than fathers. (iStock)
Gratitude from both older and younger children is linked to lower parental stress, the study results revealed.
In addition, gratitude appears to have a greater impact on mothers than fathers.
Gratitude can reduce stress for parents by providing a sense of affirmation, said Rajasekhar Kannali, M.D., a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, who was not involved in the study.
“Appreciation can also strengthen the parent-child bond, creating a more harmonious family dynamic.”
“Knowing that their efforts are appreciated can alleviate feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion, fostering a more positive outlook on parenting,” Kannali told Fox News Digital.
“This appreciation can also strengthen the parent-child bond, creating a more harmonious family dynamic.”
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Parents often appreciate hearing “thank you” from their children because it reinforces their efforts and sacrifices, the doctor said.
“When children express gratitude, it helps parents feel seen and valued, reminding them that their love and dedication have a positive impact,” Kannali said.
“Gratitude creates a positive feedback loop, benefiting both children and parents by fostering a culture of appreciation and emotional connection.” (iStock)
Additionally, when parents feel acknowledged, they’re often more motivated and engaged in their role, which can lead to happier interactions and a more fulfilling family environment.
“Ultimately, gratitude creates a positive feedback loop, benefiting both children and parents by fostering a culture of appreciation and emotional connection,” Kannali said.
Here’s more insight.
How does gratitude springboard better parental mindsets?
Gratitude from children helps parents feel less stressed, more appreciated and happier overall, simply because it shows that the child cares, according to Mia Rosenberg, LCSW, a psychotherapist with Upsider Therapy in New York.
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“With a small act of acknowledgment of what the parent just provided to [the kids], parents often can feel a sense of reward — which can then act as a catalyst for them to do it again,” she said.
“The goal is to show satisfaction with what we have and lean into feeling gratitude for those ideas or items,” said one expert. (iStock, courtesy of user Jacob Wackerhausen)
How can parents instill gratitude in kids?
Children look to their parents for cues on how to react and respond to situations, Rosenberg said.
“Doing things like modeling appreciation to children can help show them the value of appreciating any gift or act of kindness,” she noted.
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When parents model language like “I feel so lucky that it’s a beautiful day” or “I am so grateful that we have what we need every day,” these are useful ways to show appreciation to a child.
“The goal is to show satisfaction with what we have and lean into feeling gratitude for those ideas or items,” Rosenberg said.
Instilling gratitude as a core life trait in children can be very impactful, experts told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Child psychiatrist Kannali with Novant Health agreed that instilling gratitude as a core life trait in children can be very impactful.
“Parents who use strategies such as discussing feelings, encouraging empathy, celebrating efforts without just measuring outcomes, creating gratitude rituals, modeling gratitude while teaching reflection, and avoiding overindulgence can help children cultivate a genuine sense of gratitude that extends beyond polite expressions,” he said.
In effect, the expert added, these actions are “nurturing a lifelong appreciation for people and experiences.”
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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