Transcript
I bet you've heard that expressing gratitude is good for you. Say thank you. Keep a gratitude journal. Call your mother! But it's annoying and weird and awkward. And just another one of those healthy practices that lives rent-free in your mind but almost never makes it out to play. I am very much guilty of this. So, this is an intervention. A science intervention. Because this isn't just some power pose psychological trick that was done in one study and never replicated. In the last 20 years, there have been over 60 studies, 6. Looking at the impact of various gratitude practices on health and well-being. These included keeping a gratitude journal, expressing thanks to someone either verbally or in writing, or even posting pictures on Instagram. Those who did experience measurable benefits. They felt more grateful, more satisfied with life, and more mentally healthy. They also showed fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, even better sleep. So how does it work? Practicing gratitude trains our brain to focus on the positive. Instead of dwelling on what's lacking, we learn to appreciate what we appreciate what we have, especially our social connections. This boosts feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which we've talked about a lot. Over time, it actually changes brain structure to hardwire in more optimism. So here's your homework. This Thanksgiving, don't stop at the say something you're grateful for, platitude. Really let yourself feel gratitude in a full-body way about something towards someone. And don't do what you usually do and forget about this tomorrow. I'll repost this if I need. Build the habit. Try to feel and express gratefulness at least once per day. Now, comment and tag one creator on here that you're thankful for.
Additional notes
Tag a creator you’re thankful for! I’m thankful for you guys, your constant thoughtful comments and messages of support, and the way that you’ve enabled me to devote my time and energy towards learning learning and teaching cool science! Me doing my own homework: I am also thankful for @hankgreen and his ability to always somehow provide a perfect blend of humor and education. . The research worked with all kinds of people - kids, college students, doctors, seniors...even prisoners! Gratitude helps in stressful times, but also in everyday life. Note: The effect sizes from the meta analysis were fairly small, in the 4-10% range, but the studies often also reported other benefits such as “more positive moods and emotions, greater appreciation and optimism, more prosocial behavior, less worry, and less psychological pain.” Note 2: The instagram study was small and short, so they showed increased overall feelings of gratitude but didn’t get to the point of showing any significant health improvements. I could also easily see this type of practice as being surface-level and thus less effective, so if you’re gonna take this route you better do it authentically. 📚 MAIN STUDY: “The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis” - PMID: 37585888 Note 3: The “power posing” topic is actually more nuanced than i implied. There does seem to be some effect for expansive versus contractive body language, and contractive versus neutral. See PMID: 32569503 #thanksgiving #gratitude #healthyliving #science #turkeyday
References
- The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PMID: 37585888.
- Power posing/body posture note from source caption. PMID: 32569503.