Unlike anger, sadness, or happiness, there’s no “universal expression” or firm definition for gratitude, says Vanessa Hill. In this video from PBS science series Braincraft, she explores how we can express gratitude, and all the benefits that come with it:
What Is Gratitude?
Robert Emmons, psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, explains that there are two key components of practicing gratitude: It’s only in the past few decades that researchers have started to investigate how we benefit from expressing gratitude and paying it forward. In one study, researchers examined the brains of participants who were asked how grateful they would feel in hypothetical scenarios where complete strangers saved their lives. They found that, “when participants reported those grateful feelings, their brains showed activity in a set of regions located in the medial pre-frontal cortex, an area in the frontal lobes of the brain where the two hemispheres meet. This area of the brain is associated with understanding other people’s perspectives, empathy, and feelings of relief.” Due to this, practicing gratitude can potentially have a positive impact on our mental health over time.
A Simple Way to Practice Gratitude
You can strengthen your capacity for gratitude by keep a gratitude journal. You can do this once a week, or as often as you feel the desire to. Here’s how: Studies have found that keeping a gratitude journal can lead to improvements in mood, health, and overall outlook in life.
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Amber Tucker December 23, 2020
