“The Science of Giving Thanks”
Dear Beloveds,

Every year as we approach Thanksgiving, the suggestion to practice gratitude comes to us from every angle. Social media memes encourage us to post about something for which we are grateful every day. Churches of all types publish gratitude journals and booklets of reflections about counting our blessings. We all know that even in dark times there not only can be, but actually are, things for which we can be grateful. And yet….

If you’re anything like me, it can often sound trite. Isn’t it just a bit over-simplistic to think that granting gratitude and appreciation a regular few seconds each day will change reality or even one’s outlook? Well…

As it turns out, it’s not overly simplistic at all. In fact hard-core neuroscientific research shows that a regular practice of taking time, even a few seconds, to give thanks, appreciate something that went well, and being aware of and recognizing good fortune, or even taking note that someone treated you kindly, helps form new brain patterns that make it easier to be resilient, find a healthy sense of perspective, and experience more positive emotions.

Neuroscientist Rick Hanson’s book Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence not only explains the science behind the importance of gratitude and appreciation but offers concrete practices to help develop our capacity for happiness and gratitude.

Hanson explains that the human brain has a “negativity bias,” that is hard-wired by evolution to focus on fear and danger and take less notice of contentment and positive feelings. This has helped us survive, but now is a root cause of chronic anxiety, depression, and worry.

A simple regular practice of taking notice of positive feelings, giving them a moment to register and allowing them to cause a response of gratitude can help diminish the negativity bias and restructure neural pathways in a positive direction.

Hanson calls this process “experience-dependent neuroplasticity,” and says “the main way to develop inner strengths is to have experiences of them; repeated feelings of gratitude make a person more grateful. As neuroscientists might say, positive neural traits are built from positive mental states. “

An intentional daily gratitude practice is not just positive thinking but rather taking time to notice the positive and being aware that you are noticing. Just having a happy (or happier) thought doesn’t make you happier, but cultivating a practice of noticing the good, being aware of blessings, and consciously giving thanks for even small things, actually does.

So, when you come across an invitation to take up a gratitude practice this November, you might want to give it a try.

Gratefully,

Rev. Tony