Gratitude is the Key
In Canada, last weekend was Thanksgiving Day, a traditional day of gratitude. Many cultures have days where they show gratitude for everything from their ancestor’s smart choices to rejoicing in the light found in all things.
Most spiritual holidays are centered around gratitude, and there may be a reason why. Studies suggest that gratitude causes a release of dopamine in your brain that starts a cycle – your brain responds to gratitude by looking for more things to be grateful for so it can experience more dopamine. Gratitude also causes increased activity in the hypothalamus, which regulates everything from eating, drinking, and sleeping to your metabolic rate as well as the stress response.
Another Study from the University of Connecticut found gratitude had a profound protective effect on the heart, even protecting people who felt grateful for having one heart attack from having another.
Robert Emmons, a gratitude researcher, highlights that by reframing past events through a lens of gratitude, we can become more resilient as individuals. His ideas about changing the narrative of an upsetting past event are nothing new – this is a trick similar to one used by Tony Robbins in his book “Unlimited Power” and something close to Cognitive Restructuring used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Emmons suggests using a gratitude journal to help become more consciously grateful and receive the health benefits. Even popular bloggers like Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has tips on why you should practice gratitude.
So what are you grateful for? How do you cultivate an ‘attitude of gratitude’ in your life? I’d be grateful if you’d let me know in the comments, or on my facebook, or G+.
