The Science of Gratitude
Gratitude may have arisen from an evolutionary need for community support. Expressions of gratitude are referred to as prosocial behaviors, meaning “voluntary behavior intended to benefit another,” often as a way to promote friendship and social acceptance.
Dr. Summer Allen writes “animals as diverse as fish, birds, and vampire bats engage in ‘reciprocal altruism’ activities— behaviors that one animal performs to help another member of their species, even at a cost to themselves, presumably because they recognize at some instinctual level that the other individual may repay the favor at a later date… some scientists suggest that gratitude may have evolved as a mechanism to drive this reciprocal altruism, thereby turning strangers into friends and allies who are more likely to help one another.”1
So what about when we feel gratitude for not only our family and friends, but nature, a deity, fate, or life itself? Is it possible there could be an evolutionary adaptation in which feelings of gratitude for our world give us better survival outcomes?
A 2016 study found significant improvement in mental health following gratitude writing, even 12 weeks after the study had ended. The study participants were divided into three groups. All received counseling services. The first group additionally wrote one letter of gratitude to someone else each week for 3 weeks, the second group wrote about thoughts and feelings surrounding negative emotions, and the third group had no writing activity.2
They found that “practicing gratitude on top of receiving psychological counseling carries greater benefits than counseling alone, even when that gratitude practice is brief.” Not only did this study reveal that gratitude practice is effective at improving mental health, they were able to discover some of the ways how it works.3
They discovered that in the group writing gratitude letters, there was a presence of many more positive associated words and less negative words written. Researchers found, however, “it was the lack of negative emotion words—not the abundance of positive words—that explained the mental health gap between the gratitude writing group and the other writing group.” By focusing on the blessings in their life, they were less likely to notice and write about negative aspects of life, as if we can train ourselves to see more positive moments in life than negative ones. Or as if gratitude gives us an evolutionary advantage, not just in our relationships but in our perceived quality of life.
Researchers wrote: “most interestingly, when we compared those who wrote the gratitude letters with those who didn’t, the gratitude letter writers showed greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex when they experienced gratitude in the fMRI scanner. This is striking as this effect was found three months after the letter writing began. This indicates that simply expressing gratitude may have lasting effects on the brain. While not conclusive, this finding suggests that practicing gratitude may help train the brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude down the line, and this could contribute to improved mental health over time.”
Transforming how we relate to ourselves is part of an integrative medicine approach – being grateful for what is working in our body, and the ways we are nourishing ourselves – can refocus you on building on strengths and existing routines – and that is our goal. PIM providers counsel you during your PIM integrative medicine appointment to inspire change or continuation of the key lifestyle practices that we feel would drive healing. For example, in a depressed patient who is found to have gluten sensitivity on lab testing, we might recommend reducing gluten load and having a conversation with our nutritionist Caitlin to avoid increased stress as gluten load is reduced, before completely eliminating it. We want lifestyle change to make sense and to yield improved quality of life at every step, and for it to be doable.
By practicing gratitude, we can train our brains to become happier, more positive, and more likely to feel grateful in the expanse of our life. Writing gratitude letters is something you can do anywhere, at no cost, and results in profound changes of our brain chemistry, our overall mental health, nervous system health, stress reduction, and our relationships with others. In the study, it was shown that gratitude “causes synchronized activation in multiple brain regions, and lights up parts of the brain’s reward pathways and the hypothalamus. In short, gratitude can boost neurotransmitter serotonin and activate the brain stem to produce dopamine. Dopamine is our brain's pleasure chemical.”4
Maybe this is why many of us feel so good after helping others! Want some ways to reap the benefits of gratitude beyond journaling?
Volunteer at a local soup kitchen
Volunteer with Toys for Tots
Write a gratitude letter to someone you care about and give it to them!
Take a walk in nature and appreciate the beauty of this world we live in.
Donate extra warm clothes this holiday season to those who need them.
Say thank you with a gift certificate to PIM! From November 23rd to December 16th our gift certificates will be 20% OFF! Give the gift of health to yourself and to others.
PIM wants to hear from you! Do you have an experience with gratitude writing? Know of any local organizations supporting those in need? Do you find this article helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook and Instagram!
The holiday season is right around the corner! And what better gift to give to yourself and others than the gift of health. From November 23rd to December 16th our gift certificates will be 20% OFF! In addition, from 11/25-11/29 all supplements ordered through Fullscript will be 20% OFF.
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Are you looking for a more comprehensive, empowering approach to medicine? Schedule a 20-minute free consultation with Lynda Sherland, CRNP, FNP-C or Veronica Porterfield, PA-C today! Not quite ready to schedule and have questions? Quickly get in touch with us today!
If you or your loved one needs help, perhaps you are suffering from the effects of ongoing stress, mood or hormone imbalance, including thyroid imbalance, or you or they are already working with a doctor to address a condition but want a more comprehensive, empowering approach to medicine? Schedule a 20 minute free consultation or an appointment with Veronica Porterfield, PA-C or Lynda Sherland, CRNP, FNP-C today! Not quite ready to schedule and have questions? Quickly get in touch with us today!
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