Psychology 101: “Gratitude is wealth, complaint is poverty…” (Doris Day)

 

"Gratitude is wealth, complaint is poverty..."

(Doris Day)

**By Hector Williams Zorrilla

The negative bias of the human brain is structured to perceive the negative side of the "reality" that every human being lives daily.

And that is so because of the biological law of human survival. In the beginning of humanity, neglecting the dangers that constantly lurked could cost your life. The human brain was structured based on security and protection to survive the imminent dangers that surrounded humans.

Neurosciences call this structuring of the brain "the negative bias of the human brain." In other words, the natural tendency of the human brain is to always think of the worst, of the negative that lurks and threatens life, as a way of protecting life. In the beginning of humanity that attitude was positive.

In most modern and civilized societies today the "negative bias of the human brain" is not necessary. Citizens in most of the truly civilized globe do not need their brains to always be on "protective autopilot" because their survival is threatened.

Therefore, a very important learning for the citizens of the modern and civilized world today, is to learn to change the “negative bias” of their brains for a “positive brain bias”.

The good news: this change/learning in human brain bias is possible. Neurosciences already have the knowledge, strategies and methods that need to be implemented to achieve this.

If you are willing to begin the journey of this wonderful learning, start with gratitude.

Start today to see "the glass half full" in every situation that comes your way in life.

If you only have lemons, you can make a lemonade.

You can thank something good that is happening in your life instead of complaining about the bad thing that happens.

You can bless someone instead of criticizing them.

You can rejoice for someone's sake and wish them well.

You can wish congratulations to your relatives who do not visit you.

The best news: when you focus on the positive aspects of your life, you are changing the neural wiring structures of your brain. In other words, by doing this, step by step, little by little, you are changing your brain's “negative bias” for a brain “positivity bias”.

And this wonderful magical change/learning is happening in the trillions of neural connections in your brain.

That is why, “gratitude is wealth, while complaint is poverty…”

**The author is a psychologist, university professor and writer