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Monday, November 23, 2015

THE SCIENCE OF THANKSGIVING


Angelina Jolie takes her children out of the country during the Thanksgiving Holidays 

as she finds what the pilgrims did to the Indians offensive.

I cannot blame her:


But she is missing the point behind Thanksgiving:

GRATITUDE

Thanksgiving may be the only major American holiday focused on giving thanks for all of life's blessings, 

but gratitude isn't just a good excuse for chowing down on turkey and pumpkin pie; 

it's also a way to promote good mental and physical health.

Gratitude can improve your sense of well-being and fight depression ...

unless you really hate your in-laws who are visiting or they hate you!


Grateful people engage in more exercise, 

have better dietary behaviors, 

are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, 

and have higher rates of medication adherence.

A feeling of thankfulness for the positive things in your life 

can improve your sleep and lengthen its duration --

likely in part because you are consumed with fewer negative thoughts,

 and more pleasant thoughts as you drift off at night. 

 People who report more gratitude also show better cholesterol levels and blood pressure numbers.

A key to the effect, however, is that it must be other-focused.

 In a paper published in June 2014 in the Journal of Positive Psychology, Dr.Watkins and his colleagues 

showed that keeping a diary of three blessings worked much better to boost happiness 

than recalling three times when a person felt a sense of pride in his or her own accomplishments.

He says, 

 "What we believe is happening is that the habit of gratitude 

makes people look for the good in their life more, so it trains their attention towards more good things."


Gratitude is linked to optimism, which in turn, is linked to a boost to your immune system.

And during this flu season, making each day Thanksgiving could spare you sore throats, coughs, and trips to the doctor.

You see:

Gratitude is a gift that you can daily give yourself and your body.


11 comments:

  1. Based on what I've read about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, they seem to be good parents. But you're right: It's beautiful to focus on gratitude. I am so grateful for the people and dogs I love, and my cozy little house.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Taking away your children from the Black Friday madness and commercial superficiality of the holidays might be a good thing. And I hear both of them love their children.

      Like the one stone in a great pair of shoes, one grief can swallow all the goodness around us though. I am glad you have a grateful spirit -- it is a healing thing. :-)

      W

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  2. Hi Roland - Angelina and Brad seem to have the right attitude to life and set us all examples, which I'm sure we'd do too if we were in their shoes.

    Gratitude and the Minions ... I think I'd be fed up of my other half at that stage! But a great clip .. cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The minions are too full of the joy of each moment to be fed up. :-)

      Angelina and Brad strike me as good-hearted, thinking parents -- a contrast to many I see! Happiest of Holidays!!

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  3. Amen to the importance of Gratitude.

    I'm getting to the point where I like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. She is right about the devastation to Native Americans. She is not realistic in that the world is not a perfect place. There is no perfection and everything has a dark side including us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right: Mark Twain wrote that each of us is a moon with a dark side. But like the moon, we can keep our light shining always to others, right?

      I like what I see of Angelina and Brad. Like all of us, they can be misguided in that you are right: there is no perfection -- we must find the light where we can. :-)

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  4. I agree with that assessment of gracious people.
    There is more joy when you think of others first anyway, right?

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  5. I always like Thanksgiving because it's all about being together without the pretense of giving gifts. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We place too much emphasis on gift giving and not enough on living the gift of life. :-( I am with you on why I enjoy Thanksgiving. Highest of sales on your new book!

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  6. I am Forever Grateful, for Your outstanding, insightful Blogs. Better delivery, daily than the newspaper, (which I don't subscribe to any Papers).

    More so, I am Forever Grateful, that Divine Providence led You to this Planet, grateful for your very existence, Mon Cher Ami et Frère. :-D

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