People are living longer than ever, and yet we are still constantly looking for ways to live a longer, happier, and healthier life.

While circumstantial things like where you live play a role, people are still searching for the easy way – a magic potion or fountain of youth that can guarantee they’ll be around for decades to come.

But according to new research, the answer might be much simpler than that.

A team comprised of researchers from both Harvard University and the University of British Columbia posed the following question:

“Do people who more frequently notice and feel grateful for positive experiences tend to live longer?”

The answer came from data from 49,275 people in the Nurses’ Health Study, a study established in 1976 to collect data from female nurses in the US who were aged between 30 to 55 at the time of enrollment.

Every two years, these nurses fill out questionnaires on their health, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors, like support systems and quality of life.

In 2016, one of the questions was designed to measure gratitude. Using a group with the median age of 79, participants rated how much they agreed, on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) with six statements, from “I have so much in life to be thankful for” to “When I look at the world, I don’t see much to be grateful for”.

They then followed up with the group in 2019 to see how many deaths there had been.

When they compared the data of those who had passed to those still living, they found that experiencing more gratitude was associated with living longer, appearing to protect against every specific cause of death the team analyzed.

Though the study made adjustments for factors that can affect gratitude or mortality, like social life or health history, there’s no guarantee that the two our inexplicably connected – though prior research suggests that conclusion is not unfounded.

“Prior research has shown an association between gratitude and lower risk of mental distress and greater emotional and social wellbeing. However, its association with physical health is less understood,” said lead author Ying Chen in a statement.

“Our study provides the first empirical evidence on this topic, suggesting that experiencing grateful affect may increase longevity among older adults.”

Key words like “may” in the study as well as recognizing that these were older adults all in the same profession play a part in the accuracy of the study or how definitive the results can be in nature.

But it doesn’t mean the results should be thrown out entirely; after all gratitude is something everyone can implement at no cost.

“Prior research indicates that there are ways of intentionally fostering gratitude, such as writing down or discussing what you are grateful for a few times a week,” said Chen. “Promoting healthy aging is a public health priority, and we hope further studies will improve our understanding of gratitude as psychological resource for enhancing longevity.”

It sounds like we should all work on fostering gratitude more in our lives – and maybe that will extend them!

If you found that story interesting, learn more about why people often wake up around 3 AM and keep doing it for life.