[0:00]Hey there, I'm Dr. Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. This podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is, however, part of my desire to bring zero-cost-to-consumer information about science and science-based tools to the general public. In today's episode, we're going to talk all about gratitude. Gratitude is something that's talked about a lot, particularly in the wellness community, and it's something that also comes up a lot in the scientific community. However, I find that the discussion around gratitude, both in the popular press and in the scientific community, is often not fully complete in the sense that it doesn't give us a clear direction about how to deploy gratitude and what the actual mechanisms are by which gratitude, if it were to work, would work. So today, we're going to talk all about the biology of gratitude. We're going to talk about what it is from a neural circuit perspective, what it is from a cognitive and emotional perspective, and what the actual peer-reviewed scientific literature says about the benefits of gratitude and how to get those benefits. Now, for some of you, the idea of gratitude might immediately resonate, and you might say, I practice gratitude. I have a gratitude journal. I know that I feel better when I'm grateful. For others of you, perhaps the word gratitude evokes a little bit of an eye-roll or perhaps some skepticism, and you think, oh, this is just another sort of feel-good message or something that doesn't actually have a lot of teeth behind it. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, I invite you to take a serious look at the data that we're going to discuss today. And in fact, even if you are somebody who already practices gratitude or already believes in the power of gratitude, I predict that after today's episode, you'll have a much clearer understanding of why it is that gratitude can actually have benefits and how to leverage those benefits in a much more effective way. So let's talk about gratitude. What is it? When we talk about gratitude, we're essentially talking about a state in which we appreciate things that we already have, things that we already are, or things that we already experience. And of course, there's always an aspirational component to our lives as human beings. We're always seeking things, we're always wanting to achieve things, we're always looking for the next best thing. And there's nothing wrong with that whatsoever, and in fact, as we'll soon learn, that's part of the human experience that drives us forward to do new things and to be creative. However, the mechanism by which gratitude works really relates to a different set of neural circuits and a different set of brain body interactions than that of seeking and working towards goals. So today we're going to talk about how gratitude works and how it can allow you to tap into these unique mechanisms and benefits. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is in no way for medical advice, and is a general information for educational purposes only. And always consult your physician or health care provider for any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I'm pleased to announce that the Huberman Lab podcast is now partnered with Momentous Supplements. We're going to talk more about Momentous supplements later in the episode, but I just want to say that I've been taking Momentous supplements for well over a decade now. I've been working with the founders of Momentous since 2011, and the reason I use Momentous supplements is that they are of the very highest quality. They ship worldwide, and they provide all of their supplements, whether or not it's a supplement that I take or not, with a complete and thorough certificate of analysis. This means that the ingredients that are on the label are indeed in the bottle and at the dosages listed. And there are no contaminants. If you're interested in checking out Momentous supplements, you can go to live Momentous, that's L I V E Momentous, momentous.com Huberman and you can get 20% off any of the supplements that they make. So again, that's live Momentous, L I V E M O M E N T O U S.com Huberman for 20% off. Let's talk about gratitude. And in particular, let's talk about the biological mechanisms by which gratitude can actually positively impact us. Before we dive into the specific circuits and mechanisms, I just want to define what gratitude is in a way that allows us to understand it from a neurobiological perspective. Gratitude is the ability to recognize value and goodness in our lives, whether that's intrinsic to us or whether that's something external to us, such as a relationship or a circumstance or a possession. So essentially, it's the identification of something that we appreciate or that we already have that is good. Now, in contrast to that, the reward seeking systems of the brain that we've talked about a lot on this podcast, particularly dopamine, are systems that are designed to propel us forward into future states. Dopamine is released when we achieve something, but it's also released when we anticipate something. So when we are looking forward to something, or we're working toward something, or we're seeking something. And while dopamine can feel good, it's also what creates this drive and sometimes a sense of feeling incomplete until we get something. So dopamine is very important for motivation and for achievement, but it is fundamentally future-oriented. Gratitude, in contrast, is fundamentally present-moment oriented. It is an appreciation of something that has already happened or is already happening. So the systems that are engaged during gratitude are different than the systems that are engaged in seeking and working towards future goals. Now that's not to say that the systems are entirely separate, but they are weighted differently. And this is important because it gets at the very core of how gratitude works. When we are looking forward to something, or we are working toward a goal, the dopamine circuits are active, and those circuits include the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of our brain right behind our forehead that's involved in planning and executive function. It also involves circuits in the midbrain, such as the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens, which are involved in reward. And when those circuits are active, we tend to feel motivated, but we also tend to feel a little bit of unease or incompleteness. We're driven to get to that future state where we will achieve the thing that we're looking forward to or we will achieve the goal. When we engage in gratitude, what we find in terms of the neural circuits is that there's more activation of circuits that are associated with what's called the default mode network. The default mode network is a network of brain areas that are active when we are not actively engaged in an external task, but rather when we are reflecting internally. So when we're thinking about ourselves, when we're thinking about our past, when we're thinking about our future, but not in a goal-oriented way, but more in a reflective, appreciative, or even sometimes ruminative way. So the default mode network involves areas like the medial prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex, and the angular gyrus. And these areas are involved in self-referential thought, in memory, and in imagination. And when we engage in gratitude, these areas tend to be more active, and there's a dampening of some of the dopamine-seeking circuits. Now, that's not to say that you should only ever do gratitude and never seek goals. That's not the message here. The message here is that there are distinct neural circuits that are engaged when we are in a state of gratitude versus a state of seeking. And by understanding those, we can actually leverage the benefits of gratitude in a more effective way. So what are the benefits of gratitude? Well, there's actually a substantial amount of peer-reviewed scientific literature on the benefits of gratitude. And these benefits include things like improved mental well-being, reduced stress, improved sleep quality, improved immune function, and even improved cardiovascular health. So these are not just sort of soft, feel-good messages. These are actual physiological and psychological benefits that have been measured in scientific studies. Now, how does gratitude actually bring about these benefits? Well, one of the key mechanisms is through the regulation of our autonomic nervous system. Our autonomic nervous system has two main branches, the sympathetic branch, which is often referred to as the fight or flight system, and the parasympathetic branch, which is often referred to as the rest and digest system. And when we are in a state of stress or seeking, our sympathetic nervous system tends to be more active. And that's important for things like escaping danger or performing at a high level. But if it's chronically active, it can lead to negative health consequences. When we engage in gratitude, what we find is that there's an increase in the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. So the rest and digest system becomes more active, and this can lead to a reduction in heart rate, a reduction in blood pressure, and a reduction in stress hormones like cortisol. So gratitude essentially helps to shift our autonomic nervous system into a more relaxed and restorative state. Another mechanism by which gratitude works is through its impact on our social connections. When we express gratitude to others, or even when we just feel gratitude towards others, it tends to strengthen our social bonds and our relationships. And we know from a vast amount of scientific literature that strong social connections are one of the most important predictors of longevity and overall well-being. So gratitude can actually indirectly lead to improved health outcomes by strengthening our social connections. Now, how do we actually practice gratitude in a way that leverages these mechanisms and gets us these benefits? There are several ways that have been shown to be effective in scientific studies. One of the most common and well-studied methods is what's called a gratitude journal. And this involves simply writing down things that you are grateful for on a regular basis. Now, the key here is not just to write down a list of things, but to actually try to feel the emotion of gratitude as you're writing them down. So for example, if you write down, I'm grateful for my health, try to actually feel what it's like to have good health, or if you write down, I'm grateful for my family, try to actually feel the love and connection you have with your family. This emotional component is actually very important for engaging those default mode network circuits and for shifting the autonomic nervous system. Another effective method is what's called a gratitude visit. And this involves actually going to someone who has done something kind for you or who has had a positive impact on your life and expressing your gratitude to them directly. This can be a very powerful way to strengthen social connections and to experience the emotional benefits of gratitude. A third method is what's called a mental subtraction of positive events. And this is a little bit counterintuitive, but it's actually been shown to be very effective. And it involves imagining what your life would be like if certain positive things had not happened or if certain positive people were not in your life. And by imagining the absence of these positive things, it can actually heighten your appreciation for them and make you feel more grateful. So for example, you might imagine what your life would be like if you had never met your partner or if you had never gotten the job that you have, or if you had never recovered from a certain illness. And by imagining those negative counterfactuals, it can actually lead to a deeper sense of gratitude for what you do have. Now, an important component of practicing gratitude effectively is to do it consistently. It's not something that you just do once and then you're done. It's something that you need to integrate into your regular routine, whether that's daily or a few times a week. And the reason for that is that these neural circuits that we're talking about, they get strengthened through repetition. So the more often you engage in gratitude, the more easily and automatically these circuits will be activated, and the more easily you'll be able to access those benefits. So in summary, gratitude is not just a feel-good emotion, but it's actually a powerful tool that can positively impact your brain and body through specific neural and physiological mechanisms. And by understanding these mechanisms and by practicing gratitude consistently using evidence-based methods, you can actually leverage these benefits for improved mental and physical well-being. I want to thank you for joining me for today's discussion on the science of gratitude. If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, Huberman Lab. You can also subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple, and on both Spotify and Apple, please leave us a five-star review. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or guests, please put those in the comments section on YouTube. Please also check out our sponsors, Momentous supplements at live Momentous.com Huberman. And again, you can get 20% off all of their supplements there. Thank you so much for your interest in science. And if you're interested in checking out some of our other episodes, we have a vast library of episodes on topics ranging from sleep to stress to brain health and performance. So feel free to browse those and see if there are any that are of interest to you. Thank you so much and we'll catch you next time.