Attitude of Gratitude
FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVE AND PRACTICING GRATITUDE IS HEALING By Dave Scheiber
Healing has its roots in more than medicine and myriad health care strategies. It can also grow from the simple human emotion of gratitude—and ultimately result in thankful patients becoming dedicated donors. “The power of expressing gratitude is becoming a well-researched and much more understood concept,” said Seema Weinstein, Ph.D., manager of Psychology and Neuropsychology at Tampa General Hospital. Weinstein, who has been a Tampa General psychologist for more than 30 years, said that recognizing gratitude as a healing agent can be found in the positive psychology movement of the late 1990s. Instead of the traditional approach of identifying abnormal behavior, positive psychology focuses on what’s right with
36
people—and on ways they can feel worthwhile and experience joy. “One of the things we know is that people who engage in active gratitude exercises actually experience lower levels of depression and anxiety in a measurable way than they did prior to engaging in gratitude exercises,” she said. “Gratitude isn’t just about saying thank you or appreciating something. One of the core concepts is that you’re affirming that the source of goodness in the world is outside of yourself. And that’s probably the key for people who are grateful patients and grateful givers.” Weinstein advocates adopting a practice to reinforce feelings of gratitude—a simple technique called the “Three Good Things Exercise.” The idea is to increase a sense of
personal well-being by redirecting a negative thought to a positive one. “For example, if I’m starting to get aggravated in traffic, I would stop and ask, ‘Okay, what are three things I’m grateful for?’ They can be simple things, such as, ‘I’m happy people are observing the speed limit today.’ Just recognize the little things you appreciate—it’s a mindset that allows you to be in a different place.” Neuroscience studies show neurotransmitters are released when people are engaged in a gratitude exercise, Weinstein explained. “Gratitude creates more dopamine and serotonin,” she said. “Those are transmitters that make you feel better.” Humans are wired to see things through
ADVANCES
036_GRATITUDE_TGH.indd 36
11/17/21 3:51 PM
