The idea of giving thanks, or expressing gratitude, comes up in the Bible around a hundred times. The psalmists encourage God’s people to “give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever,” for example, and Paul tells believers to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

It’s easy to read commands in Scripture and think that they’re just God telling us how to obey him. In the case of telling God we’re grateful, we may think we’re just supposed to do so because it’s right: God has done so much for us, it only makes sense that we would owe him a “thank you.”

But it turns out that expressing gratitude isn’t just about doing something God told us to do. Research has shown that giving thanks has remarkable positive benefits, such as improved physical health, increased happiness, and better sleep. People who practice gratitude have shown higher levels of empathy toward others, a decreased desire to seek revenge when wronged, and a greater capacity for celebrating the accomplishments of others.

This Thanksgiving season, as we praise to God for all he has done, may we give thanks for the fact that everything God calls us to do is for our good—even giving thanks.