Being grateful is a simple yet profound practice, expressed in unique ways around the world. From slurping soup in Japan to the Maori hongi traditional greeting, appreciation across cultures depicts a collective human experience: gratitude.
From everyday acts to timeless rituals, this article explores thankfulness across cultures and how these practices enhance well-being and foster human connection.
The warm, fuzzy feeling of being appreciated is probably one of the best feelings known to humankind.
But gratitude isn’t just that. It’s a psychological power that focuses on appreciating the positives in life. Regularly practicing gratitude has numerous psychological and physiological benefits, including a better mood, improved life satisfaction, reduced stress, and healthier sleep habits.
Gratitude is also responsible for cultivating resilience. Fostering an appreciation and focusing on the positives enables you to bounce back from adversity. In a world filled with negativity and high stress, gratitude is an excellent emotional anchor.
Read more: From Gratitude to Life Satisfaction
While the science of gratitude has proven its benefits, expressing gratitude in different cultures has been a longstanding tradition for centuries.
This shows the wisdom embedded in traditional practices. Therefore, expressing gratitude need not be a formal gesture; it can also be conveyed through simple gestures, traditions, gatherings, rituals, or even language.
In Mexico, the Día de los Muertos event honors loved ones by showing gratitude through memorials and celebrations. In India, the greeting namaskara — illustrated by the hands pressed together and a slight bow — conveys gratitude by recognizing the divine in others. These cultural acts foster both personal and collective connections.
Gratitude is acknowledged as a universal human value, as it serves as a cohesive force that strengthens relationships, reinforces trust, and fosters generosity.
Gratitude, by saying “thank you” or through actions, reminds others that they are a part of something bigger. This is why expressing gratitude is transformational because it helps you feel valued and connected.
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Learning about the unique traditions practiced around the world to express gratitude is humbling; it reveals the role of gratitude beyond personal experience. Gratitude in different cultures is often expressed as communal and spiritual.
Japanese culture embraces gratitude through the Naikan and Arigatai philosophies. The Naikan philosophy is based on three fundamental questions:
These questions are used to reflect on and notice the efforts of others. Similarly, arigatou gozaimasu isn’t just a polite way to say thank you; it reflects the recognition of efforts.
This is how everyday Japanese rituals, such as bowing as a sign of respect, exchanging gifts, and the tea ceremony, express gratitude. These acts are not grandiose in nature. However, they showcase appreciation.
Indigenous communities express gratitude through traditions that honor the land and ancestors.
The Haudenosaunee tribe practices Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen, a living practice of everyday thanks that offers gratitude to all elements of nature: planets, the five elements of nature, animals, and the Creator.
Likewise, the Australian Aboriginals’ stories of The Dreaming represent the ancestral time created by spiritual beings and the present land and cultural practices, explaining the importance of paying respect and gratitude to the land and its creatures.
Both cultures emphasize the importance of gratitude as a lived relationship experienced between oneself, nature, and ancestors. These practices signify the interconnection between all aspects of life, reinforcing a sense of gratefulness, belonging, and balance.
Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures express gratitude in social customs, religious practices, hospitality, and respect toward others. For example, the Indian concept of Athithi Devo Bhava — meaning the guest is God — reflects gratitude through hosting and generosity.
Similarly, Middle Eastern culture emphasizes hospitality. Offering food, tea, and sweets isn’t just a social etiquette but also an expression of thankfulness that builds social bonds. Extending thanks by welcoming others with abundance, often by sharing meals, fosters togetherness and shared well-being.
Religion also offers gratitude. In Islam, the daily ritual of five prayers, the Salah, is a way to thank God for all blessings directly. Likewise, in Hinduism, day-to-day rituals and offerings — known as Puja — are performed to honor deities and express gratitude for their blessings. These spiritual practices reflect how gratitude extends a connection with the divine.
African tribes weave the power of gratitude into song, dance, and folklore. Verbal traditions are a way to express spirituality, cultural values, and appreciation toward ancestors, land, community, and life’s blessings.
Oriki poetry, from Yoruba culture, is recited to express personal and interpersonal appreciation towards others, deities, or ancestors. This serves as an expression of gratitude for protection, prosperity, and lineage.
African celebrations, such as the harvest festival, naming ceremonies, and coming-of-age practices, are filled with songs of thanks, which reinforce social harmony and the shared human value of gratitude. In this context, gratitude is about offering appreciation for all of life’s blessings.
In the Western context, gratitude is in focus during holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. During these celebrations, the main message is to take a moment to pause, reflect, and give thanks.
Western culture also uses tools like gratitude journaling to build a habit of appreciating life. This technique involves actively writing down aspects of your life that you are grateful for. This has been proven to improve psychological well-being and leave you feeling more mindful and grateful.
Gratitude can transform your perspective on life. Specifically, when gratitude is practiced with good intentionality, it rewires your experience of the world by recognizing moments of positivity. Being thankful is not just a task but a mindset. It transforms from conscious efforts and choices to notice and honor, into a way of being connected to everything around you.
So, how can you welcome this transformation in your own life? Here are a few culturally inspired tips to make gratitude part of your daily rhythm:
Reflection doesn’t require a ceremonious practice; you can begin with small thankfulness rituals that build the habit of pausing and acknowledging. Take inspiration from the Japanese culture of Itadakimasu — to pause and be thankful for the meal you have and the efforts it took to make it.
Or adapt the Indian tradition, lighting a lamp at dusk, which signifies transition and reflection, by lighting a candle in the evening and jotting down what you are grateful for that day. It’s important to build consistency in practicing gratitude, rather than picking strenuous rituals that take a long time to incorporate every day.
Select a moment in your day. It can be in the morning once you wake up, before you eat your meals, or before you go to bed. Practice a small gratitude ritual, such as closing your eyes, taking a deep breath, saying ‘thank you’ out loud, or acknowledging the moment. These small acts will help you introspect, reflect, and live with appreciation.
Gratitude is a social glue that is strengthened globally through acts of giving. Consider helping another by writing a handwritten note or making a handmade gift. These practices mirror those in Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures, which focus on the communal expression of gratitude.
The most important aspect to remember is that gratitude is not just for holidays and celebrations; it’s a vital part of everyday life as a shared human experience. Here are some ways to embrace gratitude daily:
Regardless of whether you’re facing a setback or enjoying a win, take the effort to be grateful. This will help bring balance and peace even when you face a loss.
In a world of hustle and bustle, learning about different cultures of gratitude emphasizes the importance of the “pause.” Slowing down and appreciating everything in your surroundings builds resilience and adds perspective about life’s challenges
By exploring the power of gratitude through a cultural lens, this piece highlights how to show gratitude in your everyday life. From bowing down in respect, journaling, to singing and dancing in celebration, there is no one way to express gratitude.
Borrow wisdom from around the world and adapt these traditions of gratitude in your life, and experience their fruitful impact on your personal and social well-being.
If you want to see more resources on gratitude, check out the Wellbeing Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Wellbeing Science Labs today.
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