The Healthy Brain Podcast Brain Benefits of Gratitude
Nov 12, 2025
Explore the brain benefits of gratitude and how it can enhance your mental well-being! Discover how practicing gratitude can shift your thinking, improve relationships, and even boost happiness. Learn about research-backed findings that support gratitude’s positive effects and the role of neural pathways in forming a gratitude habit. Hear practical strategies like journaling and savoring small moments to cultivate gratitude daily. Plus, find out how gratitude can counteract negativity bias and improve emotional resilience!
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Gratitude Rewires Positive Thinking
- Practicing gratitude by writing specific things for several days strengthens neural pathways for positive thinking and emotional regulation.
- Heather Kolwich says savoring the feeling of gratitude rewires the brain and supports a quicker shift to positive perspective.
From Crushed Memento To Gratitude
- Heather recounts driving 1,200 miles in a moving truck and finding a beloved ceramic frog crushed on arrival.
- She allowed herself to feel sadness then quickly shifted to gratitude for a safe trip and positive experiences along the way.
Wide Ranging Benefits Of Gratitude
- Research links gratitude practice to improved relationships, reduced pain sensation, better sleep, and lower reported stress.
- Heather Kolwich summarizes multiple documented benefits that support mental resilience and brain health.