Communication & Leadership lessons that help you lead, grow and disrupt every area of your life.
Does being grateful really change your brain?
Being grateful can literally act as a natural anti-depressant and create the same effects of medications by creating feelings of contentment. When ask ourselves the question "What am I grateful for?", certain neurocircuits are activated that increases dopamine and serotonin. This is an example of Hebb's Law, meaning that “neurons that fire together wire together." The application of this in our everyday lives are that we instruct or programme our brains by telling our subconscious what to focus on. It is almost like installing a television dish and telling it what signals to pick up. As soon as we have taught our brain to focus on the things we are grateful for, the easier our subconscious find positive things on a daily basis.
How do you train your brain?
You train your brain by simply writing 5 things down every night before you go to sleep. Research has shown that this will cause a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, improve sleep quality, have fewer headaches, make you feel more energetic and even help people cope better with terminal illnesses such as HIV or cancer.
Proof?
If you need proof of the power of your neural pathways, simply read the following articles with extensive references to studies that have been done:
The best way to test this is try an exercise that is explained by Tony Robbins as Emotional Flood. With this exercise, you can immediately experience the difference it makes to focus on the positives by tapping into the power of gratitude. Watch this video and if you get a positive experience from it, share this post!
