--- title: Deepak Chopra Says Gratitude Is Good For You description: The alternative medicine advocate says practicing thankfulness can help eliminate toxic feelings canonical: https://time.com/3606692/deepak-chopra-gratitude-wellbeing/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-26T15:50:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:56:22.526Z og:title: Stop Stressing About Thanksgiving Calories: Gratitude is Good for You og:description: Deepak Chopra says practicing thankfulness can ease feelings of hostility og:url: https://time.com/3606692/deepak-chopra-gratitude-wellbeing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stop Stressing About Thanksgiving Calories: Gratitude is Good for You twitter:description: Deepak Chopra says practicing thankfulness can ease feelings of hostility twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Deepak Chopra on Why Gratitude is Good For You  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Nov 26, 2014 3:50 PM UTC  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Nov 26, 2014 3:50 PM UTC Don’t stress too much about those Thanksgiving calories, because the emotional work you do at the dinner table could be good for your spiritual health. At least that’s what physician, holistic medicine expert and bestselling author Deepak Chopra says. Chopra, who most recently wrote _The Future of God: A Practical Approach to Spirituality for Our Times,_ says expressing gratitude on Thanksgiving isn’t just tradition—it’s also good for the body and spirit. And in a month when many Americans may be feeling worried or disappointed (about everything from the severe weather, to the unrest in [Ferguson](http://time.com/3606892/ferguson-protests-continue-across-nation/) and the disturbing allegations against [Bill Cosby](http://time.com/3602131/bill-cosby-sexual-assault-allegations-guide/)), an effort to be more grateful can help get rid of those “toxic” feelings, if just for one night. “Anger and hostility can be inflammatory not only in your mind but in your body,” he said. “Gratitude is healing. It expands your awareness and shifts your focus from something that’s actually hurting you to something that is healing.” But it’s not enough to just gorge yourself on sweet potatoes and bicker over the drumstick– you have to actually deliberately practice gratitude in order to reap the spiritual benefits. --- > “” --- So stop stressing about how much pie you’re eating and focus instead on what’s good in your life. It’s healthy. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3606692/deepak-chopra-gratitude-wellbeing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3606692/deepak-chopra-gratitude-wellbeing/"},"headline":"Deepak Chopra on Why Gratitude is Good For You","datePublished":"2014-11-26T15:50:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:56:22.526Z","description":"The alternative medicine advocate says practicing thankfulness can help eliminate toxic feelings","url":"https://time.com/3606692/deepak-chopra-gratitude-wellbeing/","keywords":["Living","photography","anger","holiday","gratitude","Spirituality","Thanksgiving"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlotte Alter","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3606692/deepak-chopra-gratitude-wellbeing/","name":"Deepak Chopra on Why Gratitude is Good For You"}}]}] ```