What is gratitude? Well, according to Robert Emmons, one of the leading scientific experts on gratitude featured in the video (from the link below), gratitude has two key components. First of all, it’s an “affirmation of goodness.”
When you feel gratitude, you affirm that you live in a benevolent world. Second, it’s a recognition that the source of benevolence comes from outside of yourself; that other people (or higher powers, if you so like) have provided you with “gifts.” In Emmons’ view, gratitude is “a relationship-strengthening emotion, because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.”
In 2011, the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) at the University of California, in collaboration with Emmons, launched a project called Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude. This project aims to:
- Expand the scientific database of gratitude, particularly in the key areas of human health, personal and relational well-being, and developmental science.
- Raise awareness and engage the public in a larger cultural conversation about the meaning and significance of gratitude.
- Promote evidence-based practices of gratitude in educational, medical and organizational settings.
In Emmons words:
“Neuroscientist Rick Hanson has said that the brain takes the shape the mind rests upon. Rest your mind upon worry, sadness, annoyance and irritability and it will begin to take the shape neurally of anxiety, depression and anger. Ask your brain to give thanks and it will get better at finding things to be grateful for, and begin to take the shape of gratitude.
Everything we do creates connections within networks of the brain, and the more you repeat something, the stronger those connections get. The mind can change the brain in lasting ways. In other words, what flows through the mind sculpts the brain.”
Keeping a written record of the things you’re thankful for is good for your health. That’s the conclusion reached by an ever-growing number of published studies showing a wide range of physical benefits. According to Laurie Santos, a psychologist who teaches a science of well-being and happiness course at Yale, focusing on gratitude has become a growing trend in recent years, and for good reason.
There’s an awful lot of stress and unhappiness in the world, and gratitude is an effective remedy that costs nothing. According to the Harris Poll Happiness Index, just 1 in 3 Americans reports being “very happy.” Other research suggests nearly 1 in 4 experiences has no life enjoyment at all.
If your joy quotient could use a boost, commit to cultivating gratitude this year. A simple and proven way of doing this is to keep a gratitude journal, in which you document the things you’re grateful for each day. One 2015 study found participants who kept a gratitude diary and reflected on what they were grateful for four times a week for three weeks improved their depression, stress and happiness scores. In a more recent study, high school students asked to keep gratitude journals over the course of a month also exhibited healthier eating patterns.
If you’ve decided to keep a gratitude journal, keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Focus on the benevolence of other people — Doing so will increase your sense of being supported by life and decrease unnecessary anxiety.
- Focus on what you have received rather than what’s been withheld.
- Avoid comparing yourself to people you perceive to have more advantages, more things or “better luck,” as doing so will erode your sense of security. If you’re going to slip into comparisons, contemplate what your life would be like if you didn’t have something you currently enjoy.
Enjoy this great video by: Robert Emmons: Benefits of Gratitude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRrnfGf5aWE
Written by Dr. Joseph Mercola: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/17/gratitude-essential-key-to-health-happiness.aspx