As we enter the official holiday season, I’m amused to remember that Ben Franklin had very specific thoughts on America’s national symbol: “I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character…. For the truth the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird….”
To be honest, I have no idea how to measure a bird’s moral character, or how Ben felt about Thanksgiving itself. Regardless, I am grateful for the season, as I wish you a very happy… Fine Line Friday.
I always welcome this month because, like many people, I have become more aware of the power of gratitude in recent years. And putting this newsletter together provides me with an excuse to study up on the latest gratitude practices, as well as the science behind them.
As has been the case for many people, Oprah is the person who first brought gratitude to center stage for me. She articulates its importance nicely in this short social media video. And while I was enjoying her take, the rabbit hole that is YouTube brought me to this short video from Steve Harvey. Steve notes a critical component of gratitude that people sometimes overlook, and how it may be holding them back.
I’ve learned that inspiring stories of gratitude can be found in unexpected places, like this very touching scene from The Office, in which Michael earns Pam’s appreciation (even if he doesn’t understand how he did it).
The video above illustrates the findings of Stanford Neurologist, Andrew Huberman, who posits that one of the best ways to reap the benefits of gratitude is by observing other people receiving it. He explains how people can practice gratitude more effectively in this short video. For a deeper dive, you can listen to his more detailed explanation in the full episode on gratitude from his Huberman Lab podcast.
Another fascinating take on the science of gratitude comes from Dr. Christine Carter. In this short video, Carter lists three reasons why gratitude is effective, including an unexpected analogy from a study in which college students played Tetris. It turns out a higher awareness of gratitude fuels even more of the same
But if you’re not drawn to the empirical approach, you might enjoy this simple illustration of Carter’s theory from a video that sits permanently on my computer’s desktop. Something about hearing these wise words, spoken matter-of-factly by this little boy, never fail to touch my heart and inspire me
Chelsea and I hope that something above has inspired you, as you and yours gather next week for “respectable bird” season. Until next time, may you keep… Feeling Fine!
