Science shows that gratitude can relieve stress and improve your immune system

1. Keeping a gratitude journal causes less stress, improves the quality of sleep, and builds emotional awareness (Seligman, Steen, Park and Peterson, 2005).

2. People who express and feel gratitude have a higher volume of grey matter in the right inferior temporal gyrus (Zahn et al, 2014). ( Make you smarter!)

3. McCraty and colleagues (1998), in one of their studies on gratitude and appreciation, found that participants who felt grateful showed a marked reduction in the level of cortisol, the stress hormone. They had better cardiac functioning and were more resilient to emotional setbacks and negative experiences.

The Mindfulness Awareness Research Center of UCLA stated that gratitude changes the neural structures in the brain, and makes us feel happier and more content. More dopamine and serotonin levels were detected.

We want to thank our family of patients for their continued trust and confidence as well as wish everyone, health, happiness, and well being!

Author

Kari L. Sakurai , D.D.S. Dr. Sakurai is on staff at UCLA Medical Center, St. John's Health, SM-UCLA Orthopedic Hospital, and at LAC+USC as Assistant Adjunct Professor of Clinical Dentistry. With over 25 years of clinical experience and teaching at cutting edge, Universities helps us deliver the evidence-based technology care to our patients.