How Gratitude Can Change Your Brain

Do you think of yourself as a grateful person? When you were a kid, someone probably told you to “stop being so negative” or to “be thankful for what you have.” As adults, many of us have read books or articles about the “power of positive thinking.” These concepts have real merit. No matter your age, deliberately practicing gratitude and positive thinking can literally change your brain.

Gratitude Is Good for You

Negative stress diminishes mind/brain function because it saps energy away from the prefrontal cortex – the part of your brain that manages mental activities from ability to focus to emotions and behavior. This is why negative “mind speak” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Repeatedly telling yourself you aren’t good at something or you’re tired, for example, focuses your brain on those negative emotions.

Happily, feelings of gratitude work in just the opposite way, increasing attention span and mental productivity and supporting more creative thinking. Telling yourself you are happy, or grateful, or confident stimulates the prefrontal cortex to boost brain function and positive emotions. What’s happening here? Gratitude boosts production of serotonin (a neurotransmitter that helps control mood and brain function) and dopamine (a chemical that increases feelings of wellbeing).

According to the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley, multiple studies have shown that “people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed.”

Gratitude Takes Practice

As with any habit, it takes time to experience the benefits of gratitude. Over time, however, the positives accrue, and they have a lasting effect on your brain. Researchers believe this may be because “practicing gratitude may help train the brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude down the line.”

So, what can you do to practice gratitude?

• Take this quiz developed by the folks at Berkeley. It will reveal how grateful you are now and give you a better idea of what gratitude is all about.
• Repeat positive affirmations daily.
• Meditate.
• Keep a journal.

Writing down your positive thoughts, or listing two or three good things that happen to you every day, reinforces those thoughts and gives you something you can refer to later. The act of deliberately contemplating what is good in your life today gently forces you to notice positives that you may have taken for granted.

Spend a moment imagining what your life would be like without those wonderful positives, whether it’s the scent of magnolia blossoms, your spouse or children, or a special experience you enjoyed.

• Write gratitude letters.

In a study of college students who sought counseling for depression and anxiety, those participants who wrote letters of gratitude showed significantly improved mental health. Researchers suggested that, “When you write about how grateful you are to others and how much other people have blessed your life, it might become considerably harder for you to ruminate on your negative experiences.”

You don’t even have to send the letters. The study shows that simply the act of writing them generated positive benefits.

• Tell others you’re grateful for their help or simply their presence in your life.
• Take “savoring walks.”

Whether you stroll around your community or head into the woods for a hike, make an effort to experience your surroundings using all your senses. Deliberately look around to see the sights in detail. Listen to the sounds. Breathe in the smells. You don’t even have to talk, you can sit outside and take in the setting.

Practicing gratitude can sharpen your mind and lift your spirit. Best of all, it’s a habit we can all learn at any age.

Gratitude at Magnolia Manor

Gratitude is a constant state of mind at Magnolia Manor, not just for our residents, but for our staff as well. The loving and compassionate atmosphere at all nine of our campuses in south Georgia make Magnolia Manor a great place to live and work. Our senior living communities truly feel like one big family. Come see for yourself by scheduling a personal tour and see all the things we have to be grateful for at Magnolia Manor.