How Gratitude Affects the Brain
Happy Thanksgiving! In light of this being a time of year in which we give thanks, I am recalling The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain article from PositivePsychology.com. The following is an excerpt from a scientifically thorough synopsis of the power of gratitude.
Though it is cliche to say “fake it until you make it”. As addicts, we can exist in a negative headspace and just assume it as be our natural state. However, if we begin by forcing ourselves to seek thanks in our lives. Even if it is for the little things, it will greatly benefit us spiritually, physically, and mentally!
“It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.”
Gratitude may be a gesture or a group of kind words that we give or receive from others. But these simple exchanges of thankfulness goes a long way in affecting our overall biological functioning – especially the brain and the nervous system. The effect of gratitude on the brain is long lasting (Zahn et al., 2007).
Besides enhancing self-love and empathy, gratitude significantly impacts on body functions and psychological conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression.
1. Gratitude releases toxic emotions
The limbic system is the part of the brain that is responsible for all emotional experiences. It consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus. Studies have shown that hippocampus and amygdala, the two main sites regulating emotions, memory, and bodily functioning, get activated with feelings of gratitude.
A study conducted on individuals seeking mental health guidance revealed that participants of the group who wrote letters of gratitude besides their regular counseling sessions, felt better and recovered sooner (Wong et al., 2018).
The other group in the study that were asked to journal their negative experiences instead of writing gratitude letters reported feelings of anxiety and depression.
2. Gratitude reduces pain
Counting Blessings vs Burdens (Emmons & McCullough, 2003), a study conducted on evaluating the effect of gratitude on physical wellbeing, indicated that 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. A deeper dig into the cause revealed that by regulating the level of dopamine, gratitude fills us with more vitality, thereby reducing subjective feelings of pain.
3. Gratitude improves sleep quality
Studies have shown that receiving and displaying simple acts of kindness activates the hypothalamus, and thereby regulates all bodily mechanisms controlled by the hypothalamus, out of which sleep is a vital one.
Hypothalamic regulation triggered by gratitude helps us get deeper and healthier sleep naturally everyday. A brain filled with gratitude and kindness is more likely to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed and energetic every morning (Zahn et al., 2009).
4. Gratitude aids in stress regulation
McCraty and colleagues (cited in McCraty & Childre, 2004), in one of their studies on gratitude and appreciation, found that participants who felt grateful 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.
Significant studies over the years have established the fact that by practicing gratitude we can handle stress better than others. By merely acknowledging and appreciating the little things in life, we can rewire the brain to deal with the present circumstances with more awareness and broader perception.
5. Gratitude reduces anxiety and depression
By reducing the stress hormones and managing the autonomic nervous system functions, gratitude significantly reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. At the neurochemical level, feelings of gratitude are associated with increased neural modulation of the prefrontal cortex, the brain site responsible for managing negative emotions like guilt, shame, and violence.
As a result, people who keep a gratitude journal or use verbal expressions for the same, are more empathetic and positive-minded by nature.
Practicing gratitude is synonymous to expressing our feelings for others and ourselves. By simple words of love and praise, we not only make others feel good, but we also feel a lot better of ourselves and our lives. Gratitude is about feeling the right way, about the right things, and at the right time. It is inseparably linked with self-discipline and motivation.
It may not give us instant relief from pain and stress, but it brings the feeling of control back to us.