Gratitude is good for your mind and body. A healthy mind = a healthy body.
Research shows that gratitude and kindness not only lifts your spirits and warms your hearts, but, it can also aid in fighting off, healing and sometimes even curing illnesses.
Acts of kindness and feelings of gratitude flood your brains with a chemical called dopamine.
When you are truly grateful for something (or someone) your brains reward you by giving you a natural high. Because this feeling (or natural high) is so good, you are motivated to feel it again and become more inclined to give thanks, to show appreciation and to do good for others.
Research on gratitude benefits shows that these neurological effects open the doors to many health and emotional well-being benefits.
Gratitude Literally Rewires Your Brain to be Happier. The regular practice of expressing gratitude is not a New Age fad; it’s a facet of the human condition that reaps true benefits to those who mean it. #lifestylemedicine @dailyhealthpost https://t.co/IXqS43AsaA pic.twitter.com/xjZ3hRBYF6
— American College of Lifestyle Medicine (@ACLifeMed) December 7, 2019
Additionally, in the hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that regulates a number of your bodily functions including your appetites, sleep, temperature, metabolism and growth, a 2009 National Institutes of Health (NIH) study showed that your hypothalamus is activated when you feel gratitude, or display acts of kindness.
This research on gratitude means that your existential bodily functions operate better with grace. That is a powerful thought.
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