MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION


Embrace the power of gratitude


You can train your brain to be more positive and happier, and gratitude is one of the most effective ways to do that.


by Dr. Narjes Gorjizadeh


PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE How often do you feel grateful during the day? Do you feel grateful when you take a sip of coffee or when you lie down on your cozy bed? Science shows that gratitude is strongly associated with happiness. Just a simple habit of seeing the blessings in small things in your life has tremendous benefit to your health. Gratitude is one of the most powerful exercises that can train your brain to improve your sense of wellbeing. Research confirms that gratitude


improves sleep, lowers anxiety and depression, improves immune system, improves self-esteem, increases mental strength, and helps you feel more socially connected with others. Researchers found that gratitude enhances blood flow in certain parts of the brain associated with memory and emotion, moral decision making, and empathy and increases production of dopamine and serotonin – the feel- good hormones that create a sense of happiness within us. This suggests that if we focus on


the positive things in our life we will be happier. Our brain cannot focus on both positive and negative thoughts at the same time. This means focusing on the positive not only activates certain parts of our brain that enhance our good feelings, but at the same time deactivates the parts of the brain responsible for negative feelings. In the long run, by changing the blood flow pattern in our brain by regular practice of gratitude, we reshape our brain. We


66 MARCH | APRIL 2018


can train our brain to be more positive, the same way we train our muscles by regular exercise. And as in any other skill, the more you practice the more skilful you become.


GRATITUDE CHANGES OUR MINDSET But there is more to this. Besides physically changing our brain, gratitude helps us cultivate a healthier, more positive mindset. It is our mindset that shapes our reality and experiences of life. We can see both the positive and the negative aspect of every situation


depending on what we are looking for. If we train our brain to focus on the positive rather than the negative, the story we tell ourselves about our life will be more positive. The reality is that there are so many positive things in our life in any given situation. We just need to cultivate the skill to recognise them; the more we recognise them the happier we will be. This is what neuroscientist Dr Alex Korb refers to as a “virtuous cycle”. In addition, our brain performs better


when it is focused on the positive. Greater production of dopamine when we focus on the positive, enhances


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