While people have been giving thanks on Thanksgiving for a long time, the scientific study of gratitude is a more recent phenomenon. Gratitude has been touted as a tonic for whatever ails you, and indeed, some research has found that expressing gratitude can improve well-being . Of course, research is a tricky thing. A few other studies have shown more limited benefits. Still, it seems that counting your blessings can’t hurt, right?

With that mind-set, I began to keep a gratitude journal in October for the month leading up to Thanksgiving. I wanted to see what effect the practice would have on my life. I did find the practice helpful–but not for the reasons usually mentioned.

Gratitude can be practiced many ways, and I wanted to be smart about it. There’s some evidence that shorter lists of blessings are more helpful than longer lists, so I committed to writing down three things each day that I was thankful for. I also chose to focus on specific and different things each day. I am always thankful for my family, but writing that down day after day would likely feel rote.

So instead, my list had things like this:

1. Getting three free seats next to me on an overnight flight to London, so I could lie down flat and sleep.

2. After one of my speeches, overhearing some audience members in the ladies’ room saying how much they enjoyed it.

3. An unexpected text from a friend I hadn’t seen in a while asking me to run with her. I was free, so we met, and it was a great run!