During the time of Advent (and also Thanksgiving), gratitude has been on everyone’s mind. Further reflection on this virtue can provide a powerful launch pad to ponder the season of Advent just around the corner.
There are literally thousands of papers on the significant role of gratitude in mental and physical health. It can improve relationships at home, in the community, and at work. It can make you less impatient, make it easier to quit smoking, and, in general, make people feel more satisfied and less materialistic. Gratitude has, in fact, the reputation of being the “mother of all virtues” (says Cicero) and can lead to an increase in wisdom, patience, and humility.
Almost all religious, philosophical, and scholarly traditions have promoted gratitude as the foundation of human relationships and society. But what exactly is gratitude?
According to the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, gratitude can be described as “an emotion, a virtue, a moral sentiment, a motive, a coping response, a skill, and an attitude.” Gratitude researchers Robert Eamonns and Michael McCullough have broken gratitude down into a two-step cognitive process:
This might be another person or even a “higher power.” As multifaceted as gratitude appears, these two steps make it appear simple enough. But is gratitude a simple phenomenon?
Gratitude appears to have deep biological roots in human nature.
There is an interesting phenomenon that researchers have observed not only among humans but also among other animal species, including chimpanzees and birds. The phenomenon of offering “help” while anticipating some return is known as reciprocal altruism. In our own experience, when someone gives us a gift or does us a favor, we have a sense of gratitude and want to reciprocate. In addition, neuroimaging studies confirm that gratitude is linked to areas of the brain associated with feelings of reward, moral cognition, the formation of social bonds, and interpreting other people’s intentions. In other words, gratitude is a foundational emotional response that facilitates trust and cooperation among individuals and is at the root of relationships and social structures.
Many gratitude “interventions” have been promoted, especially over the last decade. A common one is to keep a gratitude journal. In it, one records any moment, person, or event that causes a feeling of gratitude. Another simple method of promoting gratitude, especially among children, is to regularly talk about something good that happened that day or that week. This can take place around the dinner table–or even when devouring after-school snacks. But what if it is hard to find things to be grateful for, especially when we might be experiencing other challenges?
This 2024 Harvard Medical School Newsletter has added a useful tool to help uncover the good things in our lives. They recommend asking the following six questions:
These six questions can expand the boundaries of our gratitude search.
Gratitude is at the heart of the Christian life. Many psalms sing praise to the Creator for His goodness, wisdom, and kindness to His people. Gratitude is also highlighted in the second step of the Ignatian daily examen. We are instructed to reflect on the blessings and graces received during the day and to offer thanks to God for them. There is an even more basic foundation for our gratitude. It is the recognition that our very existence is a gratuitous gift of God. When we reflect on this and on the gratuitous love shown to us in Jesus’ incarnation, His death, and resurrection, how can we not be filled with gratitude and love?
So during this Advent, this season of waiting for God to come among us, let us become more acutely aware of God’s generosity towards us. Like grapevines after harvest, which gather strength during the “quiet season,” may the roots of our gratitude grow deeper.
Strength forms underground long before the grapes ever show.
And maybe that’s why Thanksgiving stirs something in us. It makes us pay attention to the roots—the things that truly matter. Family. Friends. Faith. The small moments that don’t look spectacular, yet carry the weight of love. —Shelly Cook, owner of Reitano Vineyards, Virginia
May this Advent be a time of reflection and growth for you and your family.