One of the most endearing qualities of being human is our ability to express our gratitude but there’s something that we often miss out on and I am talking about the big picture. Several studies have proven that the act of being grateful actually makes us empathize better with others and in the process, we become less aggressive. While incidences such as road rage only make it appear that people are susceptible to stress and pressure, more so now than ever before, perhaps it is time for us to feel a little more grateful and in the process, help give our health a boost.
This may come as a surprise but the fact is that gratitude helps to improve the quality of our lives. A recent neurological study coming on the back of the one published in the Journal of personality and differences in 2015 clearly shows that even practicing gratitude helps to improve our mental health. In fact, the very act of penning a gratitude letter is enough to give you a sense of satisfaction and in turn, your brain releases more of the feel-good hormone, serotonin. In short, gratitude acts as an effective anti-depressant and is also part of the treatment process for those suffering from chronic depression.
The fact remains that as our society develops, we tend to become more insular and self-centered and as a result, we often interact less with others. As a result, we become more reclusive, lose our empathy in the process, and often fail to acknowledge the need for even expressing gratitude. When we express gratitude to others, we acknowledge the positive impact that others had in our lives, and as a result of expressing gratitude; we often develop close relationships with others. Moreover, even the mere act of expressing gratitude merely reaffirms your belief in the positive aspects of life and helps to boost both your confidence and optimism in the same. One could argue that gratitude shapes our personality to the extent that it can help us to become more expressive, confident, and optimistic.
Gratitude allows you to relate to others more easily and helps you to develop people to people connection. One of the interesting aspects of expressing gratitude is that it enables you to get in touch with your inner self and with your spirituality. We are all spiritual to an extent but the act of expressing gratitude and showing thankfulness for certain events forces you to appreciate the finer aspects of life itself. And to an extent this causes you to believe in a higher power. This is why it is important that all of us are grateful for the life we have experienced so far and to take effective measures to express the same to those concerned. And in the process, we should be able to give our mental health a boost. So the next time you are out with your family, you may want to express your gratitude to each one of them and the positive role that they have played in your life so far.
