Why is it that gratitude can have such positive mind/body/spirit effects? All we have so far is a hypothesis, but I believe it is a powerful one. From research done on Buddhist monks' brains, we are beginning to believe that when we think positive thoughts such as gratitude, kindness, optimism, etc., we activate our left prefrontal cortex and flood our bodies with the feel-good hormones, which give us an upswing in mood in the short term and strengthens our immune system in the long run. Conversely, when we think negative, angry, worried, hopeless, pessimistic thoughts, we activate our right
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