The Power Of Gratitude

The Giving Of Gratitude


Here are a few reflections on what science has to say about gratitude, that has been called the forgotten factor in happiness research. Psychologists Robert Emmons at the University of California at Davis, and Michael McCullough, at the University of Miami, are foremost researchers in the field of gratitude. What they've learned so far is that gratitude is good for you, really good for you. In an experimental comparison, individuals who kept gratitude journals every week exercised more on a regular basis, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their life as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to people who recorded hassles or neutral life events. 

And there's more. Teenagers who practice a daily gratitude intervention had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, and energy when compared to the group that focuses on hassles or thinking of the manner in which they were better off than others. The researchers keep adding to the list benefits which come from practicing gratitude. Given all the advantages, how intriguing it's that we designate only one day to giving thanks. Heart and Soul - Researchers have found that whenever we think about someone or something we really appreciate and feel the feeling which goes with the thought, the parasympathetic calming branch of the autonomic nervous system is triggered. 

This pattern when repeated confers a protective effect on the heart. The electromagnetic heart models of volunteers tested become more coherent and orderly when they activate emotions of appreciation. There's evidence that whenever we practice bring attention to what we appreciate in our lives, more positive emotions emerge, leading to beneficial alterations in heart rate variability. This might not only relieve high blood pressure but reduce the potential risk of sudden death from coronary artery disease. The more we pause to appreciate and show attention and compassion, the more order and consistency we experience internally. When our hearts are in an internal coherence state, studies suggest that we enjoy the ability to be peaceful and calm yet retain the capability to respond appropriately to stressful circumstances. 

Neurobiologically, gratitude is nested inside the social emotions, along with awe, wonder, elevation, and pride. As an experience, it's felt in the same frontal regions of the brain which are activated by awe, wonder, and transcendence. From all of these cortical and limbic structures come dopamine and serotonin, the chemicals to feel good inside. Gratitude, then, can be a total body experience and beyond meaning the deepest and wide gratitude comes from the soul and that apart from the brain the amygdala that registers soul experiences. So whenever we look at snow-capped peaks or golden swatches of changing aspen or the Milky Way during the night from high in the Rockies, our souls sing and our body is suffused with streams of dopamine and serotonin, the presence of gratitude.




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