Are you thankful for all the wonderful Christmas gifts you received? Thankfulness doesn’t just improve your emotional health, it impacts your PHYSICAL health as well.
Studies show measurable effects on mood neurotransmitters, reproductive hormones, social bonding hormones, cognitive and pleasure related neurotransmitters, inflammatory and immune systems, stress hormones, heart rhythms, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
On the ABC News website, Mikaela Conley quotes psychology coach Renee Jain as saying, "When my coaching clients ask me why gratitude exercises work, I let them know that humans have something called a negativity bias where ‘bad stuff’ in our life outweighs the good by a measure of about 3:1."
Conley quotes biologic psychologist P. Murali Doraiswamy as saying, "If (thankfulness) were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system."
So why do so many of us feel angry and suspicious of others most of the time? Conley quotes Jain as saying, "This bias developed over millions of years help us survive threats in our environment. Fortunately, we no longer have to worry about a saber-toothed tiger attacking us on the way to work. Unfortunately, we still have this bias, which makes us hone in on negative events, emotions, and interactions in our lives."
One way to get out of the rut of your everyday negative feelings is to spend some time in meditation every day. In the subscriber section, you’ll find a group of meditations, led by Whitley, which will help you learn how to do this (and we’re VERY thankful for our subscribers, since they’re the reason this website is still here) Have a happier future: Meditate today!
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.