Students Mental Health
As Thanksgiving approaches, gratitude is on the mind for many of us. This is the perfect opportunity to remind you that gratitude is a healthy habit that can (and should) be practiced all year long!
In a study of 300 college students seeking mental health treatment, UC Berkeley found that four weeks of a written gratitude practice significantly improved participants' self-reported mental health.
These benefits became even more apparent after 12 weeks of practice, suggesting that gratitude is a healthy long-term habit that can reduce stress and increase our sense of well-being.
Not only did participants report better mental health, but fMRI scans of their brains also showed that when people felt more grateful, they had greater activation of the medial prefrontal cortex -- the part of the brain associated with learning and decision-making.
In other words, as people practice gratitude, they become more sensitive to the experience of gratitude over time, resulting in long-term positive effects on our mental health.
How will you express gratitude in the coming week? Let us know in the comments below!
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