The Power of Gratitude in Sport

What is Gratitude?

The impact of gratitude in sport is often overlooked by players and coaches. Gratitude is both a powerful positive emotion (temporary) and a character trait (consistent) that can be developed with intentionality over the course of a season (Gabana et al., 2019).

The term gratitude comes from the Latin word “gratia” which means thankfulness or gratefulness (Oppland, 2017). “The gratitude muscle is like any other muscle, in that it must be flexed periodically to remain strong” (Oppland, 2017). The key takeaway here is that you can cultivate gratitude and become a more grateful person, athlete, and teammate by treating gratitude like a skill you train in your sport. In other words, the more you practice gratitude, the more naturally and consistently it will come to you.

The Benefits of Gratitude

The benefits of gratitude in sport are countless. Research shows that practicing gratitude promotes mental and physical health, improves relationships, leads to more social connections, increases self-esteem and mental strength (Morin, 2014), improves sleep (Zahn et al., 2009), and reduces student athlete burnout (Chen 2013, as cited in Gabana et al., 2019). Gratitude is also considered a natural antidepressant and has been shown to reduce toxic emotions such as feelings of envy, resentment, frustration, and regret that be harmful disruptors to team-cohesion and accessing a flow state of mind for optimal performance (Morin, 2014).

What happens in the brain?

Expressing positive emotions such as gratitude and thankfulness can actually change the neural pathways in your brain (Korb, 2012). Researchers have found that expressing gratitude produces higher levels of activity in the hypothalamus which influences your metabolism and stress levels (Korb, 2012). Expressing gratitude also releases dopamine and serotonin in the brain causing people to feel happier, less depressed, and less stressed out (Korb, 2012).

Expressing and receiving gratitude can immediately improve a persons’ mood, but it can also have a lasting impact on your relationships. In the context of team sports, gratitude can significantly improve the interpersonal relationships within your team. In sum, grateful players make better teammates and team leaders. They will also enjoy their sport more, be more mentally tough, and less likely to burnout.

Exercises to strengthen the gratitude muscle in sports:

1. Write a hand-written letter thanking a person who has impacted your athletic career and explain why you are thankful they are in your life.
2. Keep a gratitude journal writing down 2-3 things a day that you are thankful for related to your sport such as qualities in your teammates and coaches, or what you love about playing the game.
3. Take a gratitude walk either before or after trainings and competitions to reflect on why you are thankful to play your sport.
4. Do a daily mindfulness exercise bringing to mind all the things you are grateful in your sport.
5. Write gratitude sticky notes and leave them on your teammates lockers or on their bags to communicate your teammates (and coaches) that you appreciate them.