Episode 33: Gratitude as a Tool for Clearer Thinking

To kick off a new year, April looks at the impact that the emotion of gratitude can have on our mental, emotional, and even physical health. The message here is--the better you feel about yourself and the world around you, the better your cognitive processes will be.

Episode 33 Show Notes

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's article on gratitude is, um, kinda deep and intense (and hard to read), but then, it IS the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, so...
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/gratitude/

What gratitude is, and some ways to show it:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-wise-brain/202102/how-show-gratitude

LinkedIn article about gratitude in the workplace:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-thank-you-how-engage-your-company-gratitude-/

Glenn Fox on gratitude:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_can_the_brain_reveal_about_gratitude

A.J. Jacob's wonderful gratitude journey:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brainstorm/201811/adventures-in-gratitude

I reference Kendra Cherry a lot, because her articles are always spot on:
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gratitude-5206817#History%20of%20Gratitude

Robert Emmons discusses gratitude:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/gratitude/definition

Interesting article about how gratitude evolved:
https://grateful.org/resource/the-evolution-of-gratitude/

How practicing gratitude affects the brain:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain

Another great article about neuroscience and gratitude:
https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/

This article focuses on the importance of gratitude in our lives:
https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/#:~:text=Many%20of%20us%20express%20gratitude%20by,emotion%20that%20serves%20a%20biological%20purpose.&text=Many%20of%20us%20express,serves%20a%20biological%20purpose.&text=us%20express%20gratitude%20by,emotion%20that%20serves%20a

Transcript

Episode 33: Gratitude

Hello and welcome to episode 33 of Think It Through. I’m recording this episode at the beginning of a brand new year, and it’s the perfect time for a discussion about something positive, especially when most of the news we hear is the opposite of that—we’ve got wars, political polarization, and frankly just plain meanness. In past episodes I’ve looked at things like optimism and mindfulness as being tools for clearer thinking. This time, let’s look at something similar—and that something is gratitude. You might be saying, gratitude? What is there to be grateful for? What does gratitude have to do with thinking, anyway? Well, there’s actually a lot to be grateful for, and gratitude has quite a bit to do with better, more effective thinking. So let’s find out what it is, how it impacts our thought processes, and how we can bring more gratitude into our lives, even if we are not necessarily in a good place at the moment.

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What is gratitude? According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Gratitude is the proper or called-for response in a beneficiary to benefits or beneficence from a benefactor.” Did you get that? Me neither. Let’s see if we can find something a little clearer. How about this definition from Psychology Today: “Gratitude is the expression of appreciation for what one has. It is a recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously generated from within, it is an affirmation of goodness and warmth.” Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis, believes that gratitude contains two components. The first one is that it is an affirmation and acknowledgement of goodness, the realization that we have received things that will benefit us. The second part is that we recognize that those things came from sources outside ourselves, and those sources are generally the other people in our lives, although if you believe in a higher power you might think these gifts came from that source as well.  Gratitude is considered a social emotion, and researchers believe its roots run deep in evolutionary history. In the article “The evolution of gratitude” from the Greater Good Science Center, the behavior that reflects gratitude springs from something called reciprocal altruism. This theory states that gratitude is the specific emotion that regulates our response to unselfish acts by others. We feel good about getting something from another person, and that motivates our response in kind.  So, gratitude was born from our need to survive, that we saw the value of helping others and being helped in return. And that need to help each other in order to survive was a critical component in the creation of societies and cultures. It’s part of who we are as a species and how we’ve made it this far; not by being the biggest or the strongest creatures, but by realizing that working together, doing for each other, is the key to survival.

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So gratitude matters; not just because it was critical to our survival, but because it continues to be critical to our mental, emotional, and even physical health. Jessica Migala, author of the article All About Gratitude: What It Means, Why It’s Good for Health, and How to Practice It, talked to Dr Glenn Fox from the Marshall School of Business about his research on the neuroscience behind gratitude. He says that there are specific regions of the brain that respond to feelings of gratitude, and that these areas are what is known as “plastic,” which means malleable or changeable. Research shows that the brains of people who participated in a “gratitude intervention program” for three months showed new activity in those specific areas, and those people were more likely to continue to practice gratitude in their everyday lives. Another study found that after three weeks of writing daily gratitude lists, test subjects scored higher on measures of happiness and life satisfaction and had reduced symptoms of depression. Still other studies have shown improvements in physical health, like lowered blood pressure, reduced pain, and better sleep. According to a Psychology Today article on “Gratitude,” consistently practicing gratitude can positively impact people who struggle with mental health problems, by curbing the use of words expressing negative emotions and shifting their attention away from those emotions. Not only does gratitude affect the part of our brain that processes emotion, but it also has a positive effect on the motivation-related areas of the brain, which is certainly important to all of us, but especially to people who suffer from depression. And the better you feel about yourself and the world around you, the better your cognitive processes will be. Also, a Positive Psychology article, “What is gratitude and why is it so important?” states that gratitude has a “domino effect,” meaning that a person who experiences gratitude is more likely to recognize and reciprocate it; so people who are helped and show gratitude for that help are themselves more likely to extend help to others in the future.

One of the coolest articles I found in researching this topic was about a man, A J Jacobs, who considered himself to be somewhat of a negative person, a little grumpy and irritated on a regular basis. Well, he wanted to change that about himself and become happier and more appreciative in general, so he decided to choose something he really liked and was grateful for and thank 1000 people who had somehow contributed to its creation. He chose—his morning cup of coffee. His quest to show gratitude for all the people who made coffee possible started with thanking the barista at his favorite coffee shop, and eventually lead to him meeting and thanking farmers, steelworkers, designers, and many other people from New York all the way to Columbia. He ended up writing a book about his adventures called Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey. Not only did he become more grateful and appreciative as a result, but he learned a lot about coffee and the people who make it possible for him to drink it. He said that some of them were a little confused when he would explain what he was doing at their place of work, and a few of them asked him what he was selling, but they were mostly very happy to meet him, interact with him, and accept his thanks for their contribution. He said lots of them would respond by telling him things they were grateful for as well, which he absolutely loved. I’ll link to the article about him in the show notes. It’s a great story about the power of gratitude and how it affects us.

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Sounds like gratitude isn’t just a nice thing to have; it’s really important, not just to our own well-being, but to society as a whole. We wouldn’t have survived as a species without it; it has a plethora of benefits to us and the people around us. So how can we cultivate more gratitude in our lives? It can be as simple as acknowledging anything others do for you, like holding a door open to allow you through it, by saying, “Thank you.” Or it could be a more elaborate, deliberate practice in which you focus on the feeling of gratitude. Here are some ideas:

·      First, from the Positive Psychology article, “The neuroscience of gratitude.” one of the best ways is to work from the inside out. Start with expressing gratitude for yourself to yourself. Tell yourself at least five good things about you, it could be past achievements, present efforts, talents and virtues you possess. Say them out loud, it makes them more real.

·      Another great thing to do is create a gratitude journal. It can be an actual physical journal, or the notes app on your phone, or your desk calendar, it doesn’t matter. Just jot down, at least once daily, something that you are grateful for. It can be a small thing or big thing, what is important is that you recognize that you do have things to be grateful for.

·      You also might want to consider a “gratitude visit,’ where you intentionally meet with someone you are grateful for and tell them thanks. You don’t have to go on the kind of adventure that AJ Jacobs did, but there are certainly people who deserve your thanks, and you should let them know. 

·      Another good idea is to bring gratitude into the workplace. The LinkedIn article, “The Power of Thank You: How to Engage Your Company with Gratitude & Recognition” recognizes the power of gratitude at work and encourages team leaders to acknowledge the talents, abilities, and hard work of their team members. Recognition boosts employee engagement and is a critical part of a healthy employee work culture. 

·      Finally, psychology educator Kendra Cherry says that creating a “gratitude ritual” that is incorporated into a daily meditation, prayer, or mantra can inspire a greater sense of thankfulness in your life.

Now, some people might find it hard to express gratitude, especially if it’s not something you’ve done on a regular basis; in fact you might find it awkward or embarrassing. If that’s you, recognize that about yourself, but take a deep breath and just say thanks. Those words can make a big difference to the person to whom you’re showing gratitude, and we’ve already talked about the benefits that you will get out of it.

It's possible to feel and show gratitude even when things aren’t going your way. Kendra Cherry says that an effective way to increase gratitude is to “reframe” your current experience by comparing it to negative situations you’ve faced and overcome in the past. She says, “Doing this not only allows you to see how your strengths helped carry you through those past events, but it also helps you focus on the things you can be grateful for in the here and now.”

Outro 

I hope you’ve come to realize how critical gratitude is to our own mental and physical well-being as well as to the health of our society. Keep that “domino effect” in mind and remember that you may never know the positive impact your expression of gratitude has as it is reciprocated out there in the world. I want you to know that I’m grateful for all the listeners who’ve subscribed to this podcast, because it gives me the motivation to keep providing important information to you. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, I’d be very grateful if you did. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the show notes. And I hope you continue to use the information in these episodes to help you think it through.