Gratitude

This CHOOSEDAY is all about gratitude…

I have a lot to be grateful for at the moment, but as I’m writing I’m actually thinking should it just be at the moment? Or should I be grateful all the time?

We seem to have a good grasp of what it means to be grateful. However, scientists disagree on the exact nature of gratitude. Yes, there is a science of gratitude!! Their definitions often fall into one of three categories: first, that gratitude is an “affective trait” – a tendency towards gratefulness; second, that it is more of a mood; and thirdly, that it is more of an emotion. No mater the definition, is gratitude something that comes naturally to us humans, or do we have to work on it?

From various research, scientists understand that our human brains have created something known as a ‘negativity bias.’ This is believed to be an adaptive evolutionary function, which served an important purpose when our ancestors had to manage immediate life or death threats to ensure their survival. Even though we now live in a (mostly) safe and predictable society, we still have that negativity bias. Thankfully, the mere existence of gratefulness shows that we have hope in overcoming it. To do this it is important to give the most energy to positive information and to give it importance. Not only in positive situations, but also when we feel hurt or let down or angry about something. Not always easy, but practicing gratitude in all situations is scientifically proven to have a profoundly positive effect on our lives… not only does our mental and emotional health improve, our anxiety lessens and our sleep improves. Gratitude is also said to have physical benefits such as improved immune system and a longer life expectancy. So let’s try and not just be grateful when things are going well, but also when they aren’t. There is always a positive in any negative situation, a silver lining, a light at the end of the tunnel, whatever cliché you would like to use, so be grateful for it! 🐉💚

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