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The Neuroscience Behind Gratitude: How Does Cultivating Appreciation Affect Your Brain?

By Tamara Lechner

Some of the best “science” around is a kind I call “Grandma science.” My Grandma always had advice and rules for living a good life—advice like “Be thankful for what you have” and “Count your blessings.” And it’s nice to know that researchers who focus on topics like the neuroscience of gratitude are proving what common sense already told you—Grandma was right. Gratitude is good for you.

An Appreciative Heart is Good Medicine

Psychologists once maintained that emotions were purely mental expressions generated by the brain alone. We now know this is not true. Emotions have as much to do with the heart and body as they do with the brain. Of all your body’s organs, it is the heart, a growing number of scientists theorize, that plays perhaps the most important role in our emotional experience. What we experience as an emotion is the result of the brain, heart, and body acting in concert.

How to Trick Your Brain Into Falling Asleep

Jim Donovan teaches us a simple, quick method to slow your brain down by using rhythm. Jim Donovan, M.Ed., is a professional musician and assistant professor at Saint Francis University. His mission is to share the healing power of music through education and performance. He specializes in placing music and wellness programs in organizations that focus on people with disabilities and people recovering from addiction. Donovan performs with his band, Sun King Warriors, and was a founding member of the three-time platinum band Rusted Root.

The Awakened Brain: Lisa Miller, PhD On The Neuroscience Of Spirituality | Rich Roll Podcast

Check out Dr. Lisa Miller, PhD and Rich Roll’s discussion on the neuroscience of spirituality. Recent research in neuroscience, genetics, and epidemiology now establishes that through spirituality our brains become more resilient and robust. Here to discuss the emerging and fascinating 'science of spirituality' is the woman who helped pioneer it, Lisa Miller, Ph.D. To read more and peruse the full show notes, go here