The benefits of practicing gratitude have real science behind it. This principle recognizes that how we think and condition ourselves to think produces expectations and plays significant role in our self-esteem, perception, decisions, and ability to manage stress. Research supports the benefits of practicing gratitude. In one study, those who wrote about gratitude ten minutes a day were more optimistic and felt better about their lives, exercised more, and had fewer visits to physicians than those who did not. Practicing gratitude is a simple process: You simply reflect regularly on the people and things you are grateful for.