The Neuroscience Behind Gratitude and Resilience
In this month’s post:
Boost Resilience with Gratitude: Gratitude significantly enhances your ability to cope with stress and adversity.
Activate Key Brain Regions: Gratitude stimulates brain areas involved in emotional regulation and more precise decision-making when facing adversity.
Enhance your Neurochemistry: Gratitude increases dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, improving mood and social bonds.
Reduce Stress: Regular gratitude practice lowers cortisol levels and improves sleep and emotional regulation.
Strengthen Social and Psychological Well-being: Gratitude builds optimism, strengthens relationships, and fosters a resilient mindset.
Does being grateful make you more resilient?
Let’s look at some recent research.
Research on psychological trauma found that decreased levels of gratitude were significant predictors of PTSD and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, increased levels of gratitude predicted better overall well-being and resilience after trauma (Senger & Gallagher, 2024).
A study in the GMS Journal for Medical Education found that the levels of gratitude and resilience after psychological training were significantly higher than before the training took place. Participants’ sense of life meaning and psychological well-being improved considerably (Hang et al., 2024).
Gratitude directly affects factors like optimism, social support, stress, and self-efficacy, which mediate the relationship between gratitude and resilience. Activating gratitude cultivates optimism and enhances resilience for people who face challenges and adversity (Hahn et al., 2024).
The University of Adelaide indicated that students in the “Growing with Gratitude” program showed improved scores on the Child and Youth Resilience Measure and Emotional Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (Unversity of Adelaide, 2024)
A peer-reviewed article on rehabilitation psychology found that resilience is significantly associated with gratitude and well-being among people with spinal cord injuries (no kidding!?). Gratitude promotes positive adjustments and quality of life among individuals living with SCI (Wade et al., 2023).
These findings might help you to rethink integrating gratitude into your everyday practices. To put it briefly, being more grateful more often helps you become more resilient to setbacks and stress, supporting higher levels of happiness, fulfillment, and accomplishment.
How does it work?
Gratitude lights up different parts of your brain, enabling better thought processes, emotional functioning, and perspective shifts linked to resilience.
Gratitude supports activation in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-order thinking, decision-making, and planning. The medial prefrontal cortex also helps regulate your emotional brain, enabling you to manage stress more effectively (van der Kolk, 2014).
Gratitude practices also stimulate the anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain that controls emotions, empathy, and impulses. Additionally, gratitude activates your brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and creating a feeling of pleasure and motivation to take on challenges.
Appreciation also influences the region of the brain (the hypothalamus) responsible for regulating bodily functions such as sleep, appetite, and stress.
Neurochemistry in Action
Often referred to as the "feel-good" neurotransmitter, dopamine is released during activities that involve gratitude, enhancing mood and motivation. Gratitude practices increase the production of serotonin, another neurotransmitter that improves well-being and happiness. Gratitude in social contexts increases oxytocin production. The “love hormone” plays a crucial role in social bonding and seeking support, which are critical for resilience.
More Gratitude = More Resilience
Regularly practicing gratitude can lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Reduced cortisol levels are associated with less anxiety, improved mood, and better overall health.
Gratitude can enhance sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing intrusive thoughts. Better sleep contributes to improved emotional regulation and resilience.
Expressing gratitude strengthens relationships by fostering positive interactions and trust. Strong social connections are a crucial component of resilience (Hahn et al., 2024).
Gratitude encourages a positive reappraisal of negative experiences, helping individuals find meaning and growth even in challenging situations (Hang et al., 2024). Always seek the silver linings in a difficult situation!
Gratitude builds optimism, life satisfaction, and a sense of purpose. These resources contribute to a stronger sense of self-efficacy and the ability to bounce back from adversity (Hahn et al., 2024).
A Quote:
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.”
PositivePsychology.com
A Thought:
Shifting your perspective to focus on the good acts as a natural antidepressant.
Building Resilience through the Power of Gratitude
In conclusion, the neuroscience behind gratitude reveals its profound impact on resilience, demonstrating that being grateful is not just a feel-good practice but a scientifically supported strategy for enhancing mental and emotional strength.
By activating key brain regions, regulating neurochemistry, and fostering positive social connections, gratitude helps build a resilient mindset capable of weathering life’s challenges. As we’ve seen, gratitude doesn’t just change how we feel—it reshapes our brain, bolsters our psychological resources, and equips us with the tools to thrive amidst adversity.
The long and short of it is that integrating gratitude into our daily lives is not merely an option but a powerful choice that can lead to lasting resilience and well-being.
Please share this with someone you’re thankful for!
Gratefully,
Mike Shaw
Sources:
Evaluating the efficacy of Growing with Gratitude’: A community school-based program for promoting students’ resilience and well-being. (2024). The University of Adelaide.
Hahn, N., Brzoska, P., & Kiessling, C. (2024). On the correlation between gratitude and resilience in medical students. GMS Journal for Medical Education, 41(1), Doc8. https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001663
Senger, A. R., & Gallagher, M. W. (2024). The unique effects of hope and gratitude on psychological distress and well-being in trauma-exposed Hispanic/Latino adults. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 16(3), 488–495. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001550
van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.
Wade, L., Elliott, T. R., Schlegel, R. J., Williamson, M. L. C., Yoon, M., & Spooner, M. (2023). Resilience and well-being among persons with spinal cord injury/disorders. Rehabilitation Psychology, 68(3), 324–337. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000509
