Wellness Wednesday: The Neuroscience of Gratitude

As a Licensed Counselor, Addiction Specialist, father, husband and friend; I am forever promoting the practice of gratitude to others in my life because of the profound affect it has been proven to have on overall brain processing and life functioning. This is especially important during a pandemic in which the scope of so many lives have been profoundly limited, as we discussed in Monday's edition of "Be Real with Brian". Research suggests that having an attitude of gratitude actually boosts our happiness and trains our brains to recognize positive aspects, even amidst a negative situation. Additionally, intentionally being grateful can improve life satisfaction, resilience, energy levels (motivation), emotional awareness, sleep patterns, and immune system efficiency.

Below are some key points to consider when reading today's FASCINATING article from "Positive Psychology" on the neuroscience of gratitude:

Gratitude Basics

• "Gratitude, derived from the Latin word ‘gratia’, means gratefulness or thankfulness".
• "Gratitude is associated with a personal benefit that was not intentionally sought after, deserved, or earned but rather because of the good intentions of another person” (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
• "When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside".
• "By consciously practicing gratitude everyday, we can help these neural pathways to strengthen themselves and ultimately create a permanent grateful and positive nature within ourselves".
• "Grateful workers are more efficient, more productive and more responsible". AND "Gratitude makes a leaders compassionate, considerate, empathetic, and loved among others".

Gratitude and the Brain

• "The effects of gratitude, when practiced daily can be almost the same as medications. It produces a feeling of long-lasting happiness and contentment, the physiological basis of which lies at the neurotransmitter level".
• "It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.”
• The effects are long-lasting and "Besides enhancing self-love and empathy, gratitude significantly impacts on body functions and psychological conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression".
• "...16% of the patients who kept a gratitude journal reported reduced pain symptoms and were more willing to work out and cooperate with the treatment procedure". AND "...gratitude fills us with more vitality, thereby reducing subjective feelings of pain".
• "...gratitude showed a marked reduction in the level of cortisol, the stress hormone. They had better cardiac functioning and were more resilient to emotional setbacks and negative experiences".
• "By reducing the stress hormones and managing the autonomic nervous system functions, gratitude significantly reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety".
• "...gratitude DOES change the neural structures in the brain, and make us feel happier and more content". 

Cultivating Happiness

• Appreciate yourself!
• Maintain a "Gratitude Journal".
• Schedule time to purposely appreciate others in your life.
• Be intentional about your individual happiness!
• Find a "Gratitude Buddy" to share areas of gratefulness.
• Keep a "Gratitude Jar".

Simple Gratitude Practices

• Daily meditation and breath control (natural detox process).
• Regularly complete a "Gratitude List" and "Gratitude Notes" as reminders (see article for details).
• Gauge your current level of gratitude by taking the "GQ-6" (https://javagp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Gratitude-Questionnaire-CQ-6.pdf) or the "Gratitude Quiz" (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/gratitude).

The BIG Payoff

• "Gratitude practices reduce cardiac diseases, inflammations, and neurodegeneration significantly".
• "Daily journaling and gratitude jars can help individuals fighting with depression, anxiety, and burnout".
• "Writing gratitude letters brings hope and evokes positivity in suicidal patients and those fighting terminal diseases".
• "Gratitude improves the sleep-wake cycle and enhances mood. It helps people with insomnia, substance abuse, and eating disorders".
• “Gratitude drives happiness. Happiness boosts productivity. Productivity reveals mastery. And mastery inspires the world”.