A Glimpse of Gratitude in the Brain

Lucia Perkins

Staff Writer

Everyone you know, including you, experiences gratitude, but have you thought of how it operates in your brain?

The definition of gratitude in positive psychology is how we acknowledge the good in our lives. As a general term, it is a powerful emotional response when we give or receive benefit. It can be broken down in two steps: recognizing a positive outcome and then recognizing that it comes from an external source. All that being said, gratitude is not simply a feeling. It is a complex cognitive experience where you become aware of individuals who add to our well-being or good things that lead to appreciation.

Gratitude stemmed from an evolutionary mechanism called reciprocal altruism. This is a behavior that animals do when they help another member of their species, even if it costs themselves, because a part of them instinctively knows the animal may help them in the future. Research on primates supports this idea; chimpanzees are more likely to help each other with tasks because one of them helped out the other in the task.

The key regions that get activated are the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the ventral striatum, and insula. All of these activation centers manage emotion, decision-making, and reward processing. When we are grateful for something, physiological aspects of the brain change and create feelings of contentment. It also activates reward circuits associated with how we process morals and social interaction. Researchers have additionally found that people with higher levels of gratitude have increased gray matter. Gray matter is involved in our cognition, learning, speech, and perception.

Neurotransmitters also come into play. When you express gratitude, neural circuits in the brain stem release dopamine. Dopamine is a feel-good neurotransmitter that sends chemical messages for motivation and feelings of pleasure. It also drives prosocial behaviors, which is the act of giving to others like donating, cooperating, or sharing. When we reflect on happy things in our life, serotonin is released and enhances mood. It is similar to an anti-depressant, but it’s natural! Consistent effort to release these neurotransmitters causes stronger neuropathways, a.k.a gratitude circuits. This means that we will be more likely to find what is going right versus the problems we are having.

Something to look out for is toxic gratitude. Toxic gratitude is minimizing problems and avoiding uncomfortable feelings by using gratefulness to block genuine, negative emotions. It can cause someone to live in denial and become more resentful of themselves for not being thankful enough. Rather than your brain experiencing natural and real gratitude, you are convincing yourself of fake gratitude. The repression leads to increased stress levels and pressure to adulate or fawn over something in an unhealthy way.

The great thing is that gratitude doesn’t take too much work! Daily affirmations of gratitude can reduce negative emotions and stress during the day. Gratitude journaling can reduce anxiety as well. Studies even say that focusing on gratitude can lead to better cardiac function and physical symptoms. Overall, people become more resilient to difficult situations in their life.

If you remember one thing from this, don’t forget to tap into your gratitude and you are one step to better wellness!