Practicing gratitude exercises can change your brain and your life for the better.
You may have some idea of what feeling thankful means, but it goes beyond just settling for what you have or feeling satisfied with the status quo.
A gratitude mindset means entirely shifting your perception. It means moving from a place of lacking to a place of abundance. Rather than focusing on what you don’t have, you refocus and appreciate all that you do have.
This shift empowers you to focus on what you can control, as you begin to see more possibilities for success and happiness.
In this article, we’ll discuss why gratitude works, what it can do for you, and how to incorporate gratitude exercises into your daily routine.
The Science of Gratitude Exercises
“The neurochemical, the anti-inflammatory, and the neural circuit mechanisms that gratitude can invoke are equally on par with some of the effects of pharmacology of things like high-intensity interval training and exercise.”
Dr. Andrew Huberman
Gratitude thinking does more than make you feel good for a moment. It modifies the chemistry in your brain and triggers physiological changes in your body that affect you on a cellular level.
Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman explains that when you practice gratitude, it stimulates the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter nicknamed the “happiness molecule” that promotes feelings of well-being.
In addition, gratitude thinking causes the brain to release oxytocin, called “the cuddle” or “love” hormone, that creates feelings of connection.
You can take advantage of this brain chemistry to become more positive and grateful. Neuroscientists have discovered that the circuitry in our brains is malleable, meaning we can change the way we think with the right practices. It’s a concept known as neuroplasticity.
What is neuroplasticity?
Frontiers in Psychology defines it as “the brain’s ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experience.”
You can rewire your brain and modify thought patterns to focus on gratitude through certain repeated practices and enjoy the benefits.
Benefits of Gratitude Practice
According to science, regularly practicing gratitude exercises can significantly contribute to your success in all areas of life.
These benefits have a positive domino effect on well-being, including:
- Boosting immunity: According to Today, researchers from the universities of Utah and Kentucky found that law students who used gratitude practices had more disease-fighting cells in their bodies.
- Improving the ability to cope with stress: Studies cited by Positive Psychology found that grateful activities reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Reducing inflammation in the body: According to Daily Bruin, a UCLA study linked gratefulness exercises with reduced inflammation and improved health overall.
- Making you feel good: Wharton Healthcare points out that gratitude gives you a shot of dopamine, a feel-good hormone related to happiness.
You probably have some notion already: Of course, you should feel thankful for what you have.
Unfortunately, our day-to-day thoughts don’t focus on gratitude naturally. We develop limited thinking patterns, like feelings of self-doubt or comparing ourselves to others that have more. That’s why focusing on gratitude requires regular practice.
6 Scientific Gratitude Exercises
“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”
Oprah Winfrey
If you want to develop an abundance mindset, gratitude practices help reform your thought patterns. You’ll create thinking habits that focus on feeling grateful and cause a genuine shift in your subconscious.
So what does an effective gratitude practice look like? I’ve turned to neuroscientists and psychologists to create a thankful activity list that will shift your mindset to an attitude of gratitude.
1. Focus on appreciating what you have for 10 seconds
When you think of gratitude exercises, you’ve probably heard suggestions like reciting or writing down a few things you feel grateful for today.
Sure, gratitude journaling can help to some extent, but scientists have found that these types of practices aren’t the best at creating true, radical shifts in brain circuitry.
To get the benefits of gratitude, you have to go deeper and truly shift your focus to appreciating what you have.
Dr. Andrew Huberman reveals in a YouTube video a common practice he sees among exceptional performers in high-pressure fields: Throughout the day, they take time to focus on and deeply appreciate what they already have and value.
It doesn’t take long to trigger the release of the beneficial neurochemicals and hormones involved in an effective gratitude practice. Just a few moments of focus and feeling appreciation once a day is enough – whether it’s people in your life, a pet, nature, or physical comforts.
Counterintuitively, appreciating what you have doesn’t lead to complacency. It creates a sense of internal safety that frees you up to look externally. You begin seeing more opportunities for success and feeling empowered to take risks and achieve more.
2. Receive gratitude by expressing it more often
According to Dr. Huberman, the research shows that receiving gratitude is even more effective than giving gratitude when it comes to the physical and psychological benefits.
In one study, participants wrote a letter of thanks to their coworkers. Then, they all sat together and read the letters out loud. Neuroscientists observed strong responses in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, indicating that receiving gratitude has a major impact on our way of thinking.
Many Fortune 500 companies have taken notes from the data on gratitude. As Berkley’s Greater Good Magazine points out, Southwest Airlines has a company policy of showing appreciation. Recognizing their team in this way helps workers feel appreciated and is an integral part of their employee development plan.
Be the change you want to see in others
While you can’t go around asking for appreciation, you can serve as an example by actively showing appreciation for people around you.
The more you express gratitude to others, the more you will encourage them to express it back.
Here are some great ways to encourage a culture of gratitude wherever you are:
- Recognize the strengths of your coworkers.
- Don’t forget to say thank you to your loved ones.
- Regularly tell people how you appreciate them.
- Give genuine compliments to the people you come across day-to-day.
Make sure to incorporate expressions of gratitude in your communication style. This can create a powerful impact on everyone you interact with—positively shifting their thought processes.
Who knows? You may even inspire them to pass on the thanks!
3. Create gratitude group activities
In an interview with Goop, research professor Dr. Brené Brown shared her family’s gratitude practices. Every evening, going around the dinner table, they each express what they feel grateful for that day. On birthdays, everyone shares a thought of appreciation toward the birthday person.
Dr. Brown also implements group gratitude activities at work. She has everyone put their names on large posters. Then, each person adds a sticky note of gratitude under each name.
You can create an atmosphere of gratitude by setting up a group practice among your family, at your office, or with your friends. The simple act of showing appreciation for others through gratitude practices like these creates a powerful, positive environment.
4. Recall moments when you felt appreciated
Charge your brain with positive energy
Humans experience powerful reactions in the brain when they feel appreciated. You can inspire these feelings in yourself by keeping track of moments when someone expressed gratitude towards you.
Write down moments when you felt appreciated in a journal. Keep track. When you’re feeling down, or need a spark of inspiration, refer back to your list. Take a moment and relive the emotional experience of each instance.
With this simple exercise, you’ll trigger a response in your brain that promotes a gratitude mindset (with all the amazing health benefits that come with it).
5. Get inspired by gratitude narratives
Another surprising research finding reveals that stories are powerful tools for gratitude exercises. To implement this practice, regularly consume inspirational stories or videos of people receiving help.
Antonio Damasio is a renowned professor of psychology, philosophy, and neurology. In a 2015 study, his team conducted a series of brain imaging scans to see how people reacted to certain videos. They scanned the brains of people while watching powerful stories, in this case, Holocaust survivors being sheltered by strangers or receiving lifesaving food and clothing.
Watching these stories, the participants related to the genocide survivors. Their brain scans revealed powerful reactions, how the neural circuits in the brain activate when observing these kinds of prosocial behaviors.
We can apply this lesson to our own lives to invoke feelings of gratitude. Look for stories that tell a “gratitude narrative” in which people are giving or receiving help. Find a story that moves you.
When you observe a gratitude narrative, you experience the feeling of genuine chemical neural and circuit activation, even if you’re not involved in the story. You can even take a moment to break down the story to fully appreciate the struggle, who received help, and how the story emotionally impacts you.
6. Go for gratitude walks
Walking alone has many benefits for physical and mental health, and it also nurtures a sense of gratitude. Researchers at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center call it a “savoring walk.”
To practice this exercise, set aside about 20 minutes a day to take a break and go outside. During your walk, try to appreciate the positive things around you. Notice the sights, smells, and sounds as you savor and feel gratitude with each step.
You can switch up your walking path to find new things to appreciate each time. This small step is part of taking action towards living a life full of gratitude.
Stop trying to be happy, and BE happy!
Although it may take time to feel the effects at first, science tells us that performing gratitude practices repeatedly does shift the neural circuits in our brain.
For more ways to nurture a mindset of abundance, wellbeing, and success, check out our online course on Believing in Yourself.