The Blossom of Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. In our daily activities, most times the word thank you is expressed about 5 - 10 times a day. But more than half of the time we don’t actually mean it, the word is uttered out of habit. About gratitude itself, gratitude cannot be requested, demanded, or coerced, it can only be given. Gratitude is a virtue because we chose to celebrate, rather than to resent. All virtues have value and the virtue of gratitude helps to increase feelings of satisfaction with our lives and keeps us from falling into the excess of a greedy or entitled frame of mind.

Whether expressing gratitude for what's good in life or showing gratitude to someone who has helped us, neural circuitry in our brain releases dopamine. A dopamine would trigger positive emotions, making someone feel more optimistic as it also fosters camaraderie. In psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. With gratitude, a person can create an inner sense of serenity, a sense of harmony even when things aren’t going well on the outside. With regular practice it allows someone to master their own mind, which is the only thing you can and need to control anyway.