The Science of Gratitude & How to Build a Gratitude Practice | Huberman Lab Podcast #47

Andrew Huberman・2 minutes read

Regular gratitude practices can significantly impact health variables such as cardiovascular health, relationships, mental health, and cognitive performance, while involving genuine expressions of gratitude and engaging in uplifting narratives can activate pro-social circuits in the brain, promoting overall well-being. Implementing effective gratitude practices, even as short as 60 seconds, can lead to profound changes in emotional pathways, enhancing feelings of gratitude and reducing anxiety and fear.

Insights

  • Effective gratitude practices can significantly influence cardiovascular health, relationships, mental health, and cognitive performance, going beyond mere listing of things to be grateful for.
  • Genuine expressions of gratitude, whether received or given, profoundly affect neurology, with the act of receiving gratitude being more potent in creating positive shifts in neural networks.
  • Utilizing a familiar story repeatedly in gratitude practices can induce a relaxed state associated with gratitude, leading to significant changes in emotional pathways and motivation circuits.

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Recent questions

  • How does gratitude impact health variables?

    Gratitude practices have a significant positive impact on various health variables, including cardiovascular health, relationships, mental health, and cognitive performance. Contrary to common belief, effective gratitude practices involve more than just listing things to be grateful for. Neuroimaging and physiological data reveal that gratitude's health benefits are more profound than previously thought. Implementing gratitude practices can be simple, enjoyable, and adaptable to different contexts. Regular gratitude practices can shift neural circuits towards positive pro-social feelings, leading to significant health benefits.

  • What are the benefits of pro-social behaviors?

    Pro-social behaviors, like gratitude, enhance interactions with others and oneself. Neural circuits in the brain are specifically wired for pro-social thoughts and behaviors. These circuits are activated during positive experiences, such as enjoying food or interacting with loved ones. Gratitude, falling under pro-social behaviors, is designed to bring individuals closer to different experiences. Regular gratitude practices can shift neural circuits towards positive pro-social feelings, promoting overall well-being and enhancing relationships with others.

  • How does gratitude affect brain circuits?

    Gratitude activates specific brain areas like the anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex, scaling with the intensity of gratitude felt. The medial prefrontal cortex sets context and defines the meaning of experiences, crucial for gratitude and overall well-being. Activation of these brain areas can lead to significant health benefits. Serotonin, a key neuromodulator associated with gratitude and pro-social behaviors, influences contentment with what one has. Enhancing autonomic arousal towards alertness can intensify the impact of gratitude practices on brain circuits, promoting feelings of well-being and motivation.

  • What role do narratives play in gratitude practices?

    Narratives play a crucial role in how the human brain processes information, linking past, present, and future events through characters and plotlines. Storytelling and story listening circuits exist in the brain, activating neural circuits associated with pro-social behaviors and gratitude. Utilizing familiar stories repeatedly can induce a relaxed state associated with gratitude, potentially leading to feelings of awe or joy. Genuine expressions of gratitude, whether written, spoken, or texted, can profoundly affect others' neurology. Engaging with powerful narratives that inspire and resonate with individuals can lead to neuroplasticity in gratitude circuits.

  • How can gratitude practices impact physiological responses?

    Gratitude practices can have significant positive effects on physiology and can be easily incorporated into daily routines. Short, repeated gratitude practices can synchronize heart rates between individuals and impact physiological responses. Listening to stories can coordinate heart rates and breathing patterns among individuals, showcasing the power of narratives in affecting physiological responses. Receiving gratitude, rather than giving it, is more potent in creating positive shifts in neural networks. Genuine gratitude, both in receiving and giving, is crucial for experiencing real gratitude, as demonstrated in studies analyzing neural responses to intention and benefit appraisal.

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Summary

00:00

"Science of Gratitude for Health and Happiness"

  • Andrew Huberman hosts the Huberman Lab Podcast, focusing on science-based tools for everyday life.
  • He is a neurobiology and ophthalmology professor at Stanford School of Medicine.
  • The episode delves into the science of gratitude, highlighting its positive impact on health variables.
  • Effective gratitude practices can significantly influence cardiovascular health, relationships, mental health, and cognitive performance.
  • Contrary to common belief, an effective gratitude practice involves more than just listing things to be grateful for.
  • Neuroimaging and physiological data reveal a different approach to gratitude's health benefits.
  • Implementing effective gratitude practices is simple, enjoyable, and adaptable to various contexts.
  • A study in Cell Report demonstrates how individuals' heart rates synchronize in response to the same story, showcasing physiological coordination.
  • The podcast aims to provide science-based information to the public at no cost.
  • Sponsors like ROKA, Inside Tracker, and Magic Spoon are acknowledged for supporting the podcast and offer discounts to listeners.

12:16

"The Power of Gratitude in Neuroscience"

  • Gratitude is considered a pro-social behavior or mindset, not necessarily involving interpersonal relations.
  • Pro-social behaviors enhance interactions with others and oneself.
  • Neural circuits in the brain are specifically wired for pro-social thoughts and behaviors.
  • Pro-social circuits in the brain are activated during positive experiences like enjoying food or interacting with loved ones.
  • Defensive circuits in the brain are antagonized when pro-social circuits are active.
  • Gratitude falls under pro-social behaviors, designed to bring us closer to different experiences.
  • Regular gratitude practices can shift neural circuits towards positive pro-social feelings.
  • Serotonin is a key neuromodulator associated with gratitude and pro-social behaviors.
  • Activation of specific brain areas like the anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex scales with the intensity of gratitude felt.
  • The medial prefrontal cortex sets context and defines the meaning of experiences, crucial for gratitude and overall well-being.

26:19

Choosing gratitude and discomfort for health benefits.

  • Deliberately engaging in discomfort, like an ice bath, with the knowledge that it's a personal choice positively impacts neurochemicals such as dopamine and anti-inflammatory markers.
  • Making choices willingly, rather than being forced into an activity, affects health metrics like blood pressure and stress hormones.
  • The medial prefrontal cortex can frame experiences to create positive health effects by setting context.
  • Gratitude activates the prefrontal cortex, leading to significant health benefits.
  • Enhancing autonomic arousal towards alertness can intensify the impact of gratitude practices.
  • Receiving gratitude, rather than giving it, is more potent in creating positive shifts in neural networks.
  • Genuine expressions of gratitude, whether written, spoken, or texted, can profoundly affect others' neurology.
  • Waiting for gratitude from others may not be the most effective approach; creating a sense of receiving gratitude for oneself is crucial.
  • Watching narratives of others experiencing positive events, like survivors of genocide, can activate areas of the brain associated with pro-social behaviors.
  • Stories play a crucial role in how the human brain processes information, linking past, present, and future events through characters and plotlines.

40:19

Neural circuits activated by storytelling and empathy

  • Storytelling and story listening circuits exist in the brain, activating neural circuits associated with pro-social behaviors and gratitude.
  • The human subject in the study watches powerful stories, leading to robust activation of neural circuits linked to gratitude and the prefrontal cortex.
  • Empathy, sympathy, and theory of mind play roles in activating gratitude circuits, with theory of mind being the ability to understand another's experience without experiencing it.
  • Theory of mind is linked to prefrontal cortex neural circuits and can be tested through scenarios involving understanding others' perspectives.
  • To activate gratitude circuits effectively, one must associate with receiving help or empathize with others who have received help.
  • An effective gratitude practice involves finding powerful narratives that inspire and resonate with individuals, leading to neural circuit activation.
  • Repeating the practice of focusing on a meaningful story or experience of gratitude can lead to neuroplasticity in gratitude circuits.
  • Short, repeated gratitude practices can have significant positive effects on physiology and can be easily incorporated into daily routines.
  • Using narrative-based approaches to gratitude practices can synchronize heart rates between individuals and impact physiological responses.
  • Listening to stories can coordinate heart rates and breathing patterns among individuals, showcasing the power of narratives in affecting physiological responses.

54:17

Impact of Familiar Stories on Gratitude Practice

  • Listening to a story repeatedly on different occasions showed similar heartbeat patterns, indicating the impact of a familiar story on gratitude practice.
  • Returning to the same story, even in a summarized form, can lead to noticeable shifts in heartbeat and breathing, demonstrating the effectiveness of a consistent gratitude practice.
  • Effective gratitude practices can swiftly activate brain circuits for pro-social behaviors and also influence heart, lung, and other organ circuits, promoting a reproducible state of gratitude.
  • Utilizing a familiar story repeatedly, whether personal or external, can induce a relaxed state associated with gratitude, potentially leading to feelings of awe or joy.
  • Genuine gratitude, both in receiving and giving, is crucial for experiencing real gratitude, as demonstrated in studies analyzing neural responses to intention and benefit appraisal.
  • The amount of money received is significant, but the intention behind the giver's action plays a more substantial role in eliciting feelings of gratitude.
  • Regular gratitude practices, even as short as 60 seconds, can have profound effects on neural circuitry, emphasizing the importance of genuine thanks in fostering gratitude.
  • Gratitude meditation alters brain circuit functioning and enhances brain-heart interactions, reducing anxiety and fear while boosting feelings of well-being and motivation.
  • A brief gratitude practice grounded in a meaningful story, practiced for as little as one minute, can lead to significant changes in emotional pathways and motivation circuits.
  • The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in empathy and understanding others' emotional states, with regular gratitude practices potentially strengthening engagement in empathic behaviors.

01:07:57

Neurochemicals and Gratitude: Enhancing Well-being in Women

  • Study published in 2021 in Brain Behavior and Immunity, titled "Exploring Neural Mechanisms of the Health Benefits of Gratitude in Women: A Randomized Control Trial" by Hazlitt.
  • Women with regular gratitude practice showed reduced amygdala activity, associated with threat detection, and significant reductions in TNF-alpha and IL-6, inflammatory cytokines.
  • TNF-alpha and IL-6 are released during stress or damage, beneficial in the short-term but harmful if levels are too high or prolonged.
  • Gratitude practice led to rapid reductions in amygdala activation and inflammatory cytokines.
  • Serotonin, a neuromodulator, influences pro-social behaviors and gratitude, promoting contentment with what one has.
  • Increasing serotonin levels through compounds like 5-HTP or Kanna can enhance gratitude practice.
  • Kanna, an herb, increases serotonin levels and enhances gratitude circuitry, potentially aiding in comfort and pleasure.
  • Enhancing neurochemicals through substances like Kanna can amplify gratitude practice and induce neuroplasticity.
  • Gratitude practice should be grounded in a narrative of genuine thanks, with salient reminders to cue the story.
  • Reading off bullet points of the story for about a minute can activate the sense of gratitude effectively.

01:21:29

"Gratitude Practice Benefits Mind and Body"

  • To cultivate gratitude, spend two to five minutes feeling the experience of receiving or witnessing gratitude, ideally three times a week, at any time of day.
  • A scientifically grounded gratitude practice can positively impact immune system, neurocircuitry, reducing anxiety, and increasing motivation, based on neuroimaging data and brain-body connectivity studies.
  • The recommended gratitude practice involves a brief protocol, different from traditional methods like listing or reciting blessings, with proven physiological and psychological benefits.
  • Thorne supplements are recommended for those interested, known for their high-quality ingredients and precision in amounts, offering a 20% discount through thorne.com/u/huberman.
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