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How Gratitude Affects the Brain

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Nov 20, 2019
  • 3 min read













Love Thanksgiving? So Does Your Brain!

Thus is Thanksgiving week in the United States. Gratitude is then an obvious topic to reflect on. It is fortunate that we have Thanksgiving to bring attention to the practice of gratitude. In our very hurried and stress-filled lives we may not take the time to feel gratitude. So once a year our thoughts turn to gratitude and what it means in our lives.


As it turns out, there has been a great deal of research on the effect of being grateful on our body and our brain. There have been anecdotal reports of the benefits of gratitude but until research really digs in, there is always a question of the validity of those reports (that doesn’t sound too grateful!). It was the neuroscience research that confirmed the benefits of thankfulness on our body and brain.


Discovering a positive mindset

The stress response seems to be the norm for everyday function of our brain. Life is fast and it waits for no one. So we respond with the stress response which happens automatically due to the hardwiring in our brains that has been passed on to us from our primitive ancestors. Our brain is always on alert to threat and is more predisposed to look at the negative side of life. There are many things that happen to us everyday that are positive but we don’t notice them because we are always looking for the next threat to us. Now these actions are below our level of awareness. It takes some concerted effort to get our brain to move to the positive side of life. And that is where paying attention and expressing gratitude plays a role in establishing that positive mindset. When we start to place attention on the positive events in our life our brain responds by producing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine has been given the designation as the feel good chemical. We do feel better when dopamine is flowing but that also makes are brain wanting more – so it becomes the motivating neurotransmitter also. It is the attention that we pay to events – good or bad – that release neurotransmitters. Without that attention our brain doesn’t have enough stimulus to react.


What researchers have to say about gratitude

Gratitude is that attention that our brain needs to react. Just saying the words of thanks is not enough to elicit a dopamine response. You must feel the gratitude and be truly appreciative. This might take some practice. Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas of the Greater Good Science Center, said that gratitude is a recent idea for scientific studies. Initial studies of gratitude revealed self-reported feelings of well-being. Researchers then wanted to know if there were any physiological benefits of gratitude. Simon-Thomas cites a study where participants practiced gratitude for eight weeks. “Brain scans of study participants who practiced gratitude had stronger brain structure for social cognition and empathy, as well as the part of the brain that processes reward”, remarked Simon-Thomas.


Chinese researchers found that higher levels of gratitude were associated with better sleep, and lower anxiety and depression. NIH researchers demonstrated that showing more gratitude resulted in higher levels of activity in the hypothalamus. The importance of this finding is that the hypothalamus controls a multitude of essential body functions, including eating, drinking, and sleeping. The hypothalamus also exhibits a huge influence on metabolism and stress. Alex Korb, PhD writes that gratitude has such an impact on the brain that it sets up a virtuous cycle. This means that the brain can not place attention on positive and negative stimuli at the same time. In addition, the brain loves confirmation bias: it looks for things that prove what it already believes to be true. Dopamine then strengthens that action. So if you start seeing things in your life that you are grateful for, your brain will start looking for more things to be grateful for. That’s the virtuous cycle and it sure beats the stress-cycle any day.


All of these experts and researchers have confirmed the anecdotal stories of feeling good when in a state of gratitude. This is truly a beautiful and effective way of turning around your mindset and your life. When you give thanks this Thanksgiving really pay attention to all the blessings in your life. And then continue to do that every day after you celebrate Thanksgiving day.


References:

Castillo,S. (November 13, 2014). The science of gratitude: it really is the little things. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from http://www.medicaidaily.com/science-gratitude-it-really-little-things-3104468


Conley,M. (November 23, 2011). Thankfulness linked to positive changes in brain and body. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/science-thankfulness/story?id=15008148


Korb,A. (November 20, 2012). The grateful brain. Retrieved November 18, 2015 from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201211/the-grateful-brain

 
 
 

Comments

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March was an unusual month for me.  Normally I work on articles, give presentations and generally just stay tuned to what is going on in the field of aging.  This month I “learned” a lot.  Last year I learned how to write a book.  At the time I took the course I thought it would just be a natural extension of all the writing I had done over the years.  WRONG!!  The actual writing of the book was the easy part.  Putting it together into a book was difficult for me.  The course gave me step by step lessons on constructing a book.  Then editing and formatting were just as challenging.  On June 7 last year the book was published!  It was one of the most satisfying days of my writing career. 

Naturally, when you self-publish, you do not have a publisher promoting the book and getting it in the right categories for best sales on Amazon.  That was crushing because I really didn’t know to appropriately market it.  I am a brain health person!  In December of last year, I purchased a marketing program that is based on statistics.  I am technical minded and so this approach made sense to me.  The course is almost completed.  Can’t wait to see if it improves sales!

The next step I am looking at is recording an audiobook.  This is another venture I knew nothing about.  But I am already tagged on Facebook for marketing of audio book programs.  Facebook picks up everything.  Now my husband was creative director for an advertising agency and when I told him I purchased another class – he couldn’t believe it.  “This was my business.  I know how to do recordings, why didn’t you ask me?” Well, I knew he was an expert in that business, but this audiobook needs to meet all the criteria that Amazon requires for publication.  So, he can take care of the recording part of this audiobook, and I will navigate the process of meeting Amazon’s requirements.  We worked on the book together like this. 

Then I talked with some coaching experts on the viability of starting group teaching programs.  Reading The Boomer Brain book and implementing the Brain Healthy Lifestyle have two entirely different outcomes.  This lifestyle is important to maintaining high cognitive function throughout the later years of our lives.  Look for updates as to when I will roll this program out.

My last learning endeavor was attending a two-day bootcamp for Speakers.  I am really excited about what I learned there.  That is a late this year or next year project, but it is one I am really looking forward to.

 

What Is Happening in April?

The American Society on Aging is having their annual conference in Orlando Florida April 21-24.  This is the largest multidisciplinary conference on aging and the annual conference for Members of ASA.  I have attended a number of these conferences throughout the years, and it is consequential.  Keynote speakers and special events are focused on combating ageism in our society.  Although this is a professional meeting, the attendees come from all aspects of aging services.  They have their work cut out for them this year!

April is Stress Awareness Month.  We should be aware of stress every month and understand how we can break the stress cycle.  These are stressful times, and we need to protect ourselves

Here is a positive one “April is National Volunteer Month”.  When I am working with new retirees who don’t know what to do, I talk to them about volunteering. It is important to have a purpose after you leave the workforce.  There are so many nonprofits who need help in all aspects of their organizations.  It is a perfect way to give back.

Finally – It was Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds – the oldest major league team in the nation.  Cincinnati takes that responsibility seriously.  There is always an Opening Day Parade through downtown to the Ball Park.  Huge crowds line the streets and every year there is talk of making it an official holiday.  Schools and employers look the other way when there is an empty desk.  No matter what the outcome of the game is, there is so much joy, and you can feel that energy.  I am fortunate that I get to experience that.  We all need some joy right now. 

Enjoy your April.

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