Every year around this time, we pause to talk about gratitude.

We gather around tables filled with turkey and stuffing, share what we’re thankful for, and reflect—at least briefly—on the blessings in our lives.

But this Thanksgiving, I’d like to invite you to think of gratitude not just as a pleasant feeling or a polite tradition, but as a genuine power—one that can reshape our minds, calm our hearts, and change the course of our lives.

In September, PositivePsychology.com published an article titled “The Neuroscience of Gratitude” (September 15, 2025), exploring what happens in our brains when we experience thankfulness. It explained that “gratitude is more than just a positive feeling; it is a complex cognitive and emotional phenomenon that involves recognizing how other individuals contribute to our well-being and enhance our appreciation of positive outcomes in life. From a neuroscientific perspective, gratitude activates key regions of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the ventral striatum—a key brain region involved in processing rewards—and the insula, a region involved in emotional awareness.”

In other words, gratitude doesn’t just make us feel good—it physically rewires our brains to handle life better. Research has shown that gratitude strengthens emotional resilience, reduces stress, and even lowers symptoms of depression. In one study highlighted in the article, 83 adults were divided into three groups: one wrote gratitude notes, one wrote about their worries, and a third performed a neutral task. Afterward, all participants were exposed to deeply unsettling thoughts about mortality. Those who had written gratitude notes showed fewer symptoms of anxiety and fear than the others.

The conclusion? A simple gratitude habit—like writing a few lines each day or talking about what we appreciate—can actually retrain the mind to respond with peace instead of panic. As the article notes, gratitude journaling and simple acts of kindness activate the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates stress, sleep and mood. Gratitude, quite literally, helps the body heal and the mind rest.

I learned that lesson long before I ever read about brain chemistry.

When I was serving a mission for my church in Brazil, I went through one of the hardest stretches of my life. I was a few months in—still struggling to speak Portuguese, walking miles a day in the blistering heat and humidity, and feeling completely out of my depth. One day, trudging through the jungle, I’d had enough. I was homesick, exhausted and ready to quit.

As I walked, looking down at my shoes, I found myself rehearsing in my mind all the reasons I could give for going home. Then, for whatever reason, I looked up and things changed. The scene around me was stunning—lush green trees, beautiful birds singing, a warm breeze moving the leaves adding to the music of the jungle. In that moment, I started to think of things I was grateful for: my family, my health, the opportunity to serve my Father in Heaven, the simple beauty around me. I began to make a gratitude list in my head. Within minutes, everything changed. My frustration faded into peace. My heart felt light again. Gratitude hadn’t changed my situation—it changed me.

That moment taught me something I’ve never forgotten: Gratitude is not just a reaction to good things; it’s a decision that can create good things. It turns despair into perspective, problems into purpose, and loneliness into connection.

The German theologian Friedrich von Bodelschwingh once said, “That’s when things become bright in our lives, when we learn to give thanks for the smallest things.”

So this Thanksgiving, don’t just count your blessings—feel them. Write them down. Say them out loud. Express them to others.

Because gratitude isn’t a task to check off at the Thanksgiving dinner once a year—it’s a power that can brighten your life and the lives of everyone around you.