A daily habit that has changed my life is the act of practicing gratitude. It’s simple in nature, yet yields powerful and positive results. The literal act of gratitude is giving thanks for the blessings in your life: the people, the experiences, or whatever else you feel called to give thanks for. Practicing gratitude can be as simple as writing what you’re grateful for in a notebook, or expressing gratitude to yourself quietly or aloud. This practice evokes a positive emotional response in the brain. So it’s simple! Practicing gratitude = a happy emotional state.
How It Works
So, how is it possible that practicing gratitude can make you generally happier? Science has an answer for that! Our thoughts and words hold power. Thoughts become words and words become actions. Expressing gratitude daily, or at least often, can become a part of our routine just like any other habit. According to UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center, daily gratitude can actually rewire the molecular structure of the brain. The researchers found that gratitude impacts our central nervous system and keeps the grey matter out, leaving us with more positive emotions. Expressing gratitude can make us happier, healthier, and feel more peaceful and content about life.
Upstream Reciprocity
Gratitude doesn’t only refer to expressing thankfulness about the things in our lives. It can also be action-oriented. This can mean holding the door open for others, donating time, services, material possessions or money, paying for strangers, or being a listening ear for a friend. Another way to practice gratitude and evoke positive feelings is by complimenting others. Just like how negativity spreads from one person to another, so can positivity. By complimenting others, they then experience positive emotions and will be more inclined to spread positivity and kindness to others. This is an actual phenomenon called “Upstream Reciprocity.”
Gratitude can not only make you happier but influence others around you more positively. If you’re feeling skeptical about gratitude, I challenge you to write down three things you’re grateful for every day for the next month. As each day passes, you’ll start to see more and more things to be grateful for. There are blessings all around us, and we must choose to see and appreciate them.
