Give Thanks: Rewire Your Brain for Enhanced Resilience, Health and Happiness

Neuroscience is now showing the importance of heeding mother’s words of wisdom:

“Be grateful for what you have!”

From Sunday school to the yoga mat, gratitude practice has been a fixture in every religion and culture throughout time. Only now are we realising it is one of humanity’s most powerful tools for achieving optimal mental and physical health.

Gratitude and the Brain

Feelings of gratitude activate the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. These are some of the most sophisticated networks in our brains, allowing us to grasp complex social dynamics, cultivate empathy, and navigate moral dilemmas, setting us apart as uniquely human.

Health Benefits of Gratitude

These benefits also extend to physical health. Regularly expressing thankfulness can boost heart health, lower blood pressure, and reduce systemic inflammation.

The physiological effects of gratitude begin at the neurotransmitter level. Expressing or receiving gratitude causes the brain to release dopamine and serotonin — chemical messengers responsible for feelings of happiness, calm, focus, motivation, and contentment.

Practising gratitude consistently strengthens these neural pathways, helping to build lasting positivity, resilience, and happiness.

Gratitude and Better Sleep

A clinical study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that grateful people tend to fall asleep faster, enjoy better quality sleep, and feel less fatigued during the day. Since inadequate sleep puts stress on the body and contributes to chronic health problems, it follows that practising gratitude can help reduce the risks of many long-term conditions.

Everyday Gratitude Practice

You don’t need to be religious or a yoga expert to benefit from gratitude. If you are, deeper prayer or meditation with genuine feeling will enhance its effects.

However, even without these traditions, simply listing the things you’re grateful for in your head can bring benefits. Practise gratitude daily: express thanks to those around you, and notice small everyday positives, from a summer’s day to a view across the sea. Even in a dreary office under piles of admin, reframing the moment and seeking positivity can make a difference.

Lessons from Billie Jean King

Tennis legend Billie Jean King used reframing and gratitude to become one of the world’s greatest athletes and one of sport’s most powerful voices.

A self-professed shy schoolgirl, King reshaped her mindset, famously saying:

“Great moments carry great weight – that is what pressure to perform is all about. And though it can be tough to face that kind of pressure, very few people get the chance to experience it.”

She embraced pressure rather than suppressing it, a mindset that helped her win Grand Slams and face the enormous media hype of the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs.

“At first, I felt obligated to play Riggs, but I chose to embrace as a privilege the pressure that threatened to overwhelm me. This changed my entire mindset and allowed me to deal with the situation more calmly. And as time went on, I began to see the match as something I got to do instead of something I had to do.”

Stress, Anxiety and Reframing

Anxiety, when reframed as energising, can promote anabolic hormones that support repair and recovery. Viewed negatively, it triggers cortisol, which causes stress responses. The power of the mind in shaping these outcomes is profound.

Let’s take a lesson from Billie Jean’s book: reframe stress, practise gratitude, and unlock the physical and mental greatness within all of us.

At EyeOnLondon, we explore the science and stories shaping our everyday wellbeing. Follow us for more insights into mental resilience, health, and lifestyle practices that really make a difference.

[Image Credit | NBC]

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