Every Thanksgiving season, it seems as if we are reminded that we need to be thankful. It can become more of a duty, or a religious obligation. I’d like to invite you to think about thankfulness in a different way, as something that is good not only for your spiritual health, but also for your mental, physical and social health. Let me explain.
About ten years ago, Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough conducted an unusual study on the effect of intentional gratitude on psychological and physical well-being.[1] They concluded that “gratitude not only makes people feel good in the present, but it also increases the likelihood that people will function optimally and feel good in the future.” Emmons and McCullough observed that conscious gratitude helped build friendships based on mutual giving. Gratitude is a form of love, they said.
They also found that it increases spirituality, which should be no surprise to us who recognize that all good things we enjoy come from God. Finally, Emmons and McCullough said that by increasing flexible and creative thinking, gratitude helps us cope in times of anxiety and stress.
Since that remarkable study, the area of gratitude research has grown. Researchers have explored different ways to express gratitude, and the impact of gratitude on physical health.
At this point you might be thinking, “Paige, this is pretty obvious stuff. What does it have to do with bioethics?” I’m glad you asked.
Think of all the ways our culture tempts us to be dissatisfied, and offers a medical remedy. We are offered drugs not just for treating clinical depression and other mental illness, but also to adjust our mood, or to help us fit into someone else’s idea of a “normal” or “well-adjusted” personality.
Doctors and surgical suites are being used for all sorts of cosmetic purposes, whether it’s a nose job, a tummy tuck, or liposuction. Just last week, I read of a woman who had a tiny piece of platinum jewelry inserted into her eye, just to be unique. The procedure was performed by an ophthalmologist.[2]
We are offered a cornucopia of biomedical and technological resources to improve ourselves, to postpone the effects of aging, to be stronger, healthier, prettier, or smarter. Technology is the enabler of the endless pursuit of perfection, aided and abetted by magazines, social media, internet ads, and our obsession with celebrities. Perfection is an unattainable goal, and discontent is often the result of trying to get there.
The remedy? Focus instead on being thankful for the amazing body God designed. For example, we have about 9,000 taste buds in our mouth, most of them on our tongue. The tongue also happens to be the strongest, most sensitive and most flexible muscle in our body.
This Thanksgiving, along with being thankful for family and friends—and that tasty dinner!—think about being thankful for your body. It’s a much better remedy than trying to improve it with medical technology.
[1] Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough, “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (2003): 377-389.
[2]Kerry Drew, “Implanting Platinum Jewelry in Eye,” MyFoxNY.com, November 20, 2103, http://www.myfoxny.com/story/24016649/implanting-platinum-jewelry-in-eye.