Key points

Thanksgiving conjures strong feelings, including love, stress, and, most importantly, gratitude.

Gratitude produces an explosion of neurochemicals that downregulate our nervous systems and elevate our mood.

Gratitude can increase the brain's plasticity.

Ancient rituals include characteristics such as being in community with others that are good for our biology.

As a physician and scientist, I spend a lot of time thinking about the biology behind the things we feel. It’s a passion subject for me, whether the feelings are bad things like stress and shame , or good things like love and gratitude . The feeling of gratitude comes to mind as the Thanksgiving holiday draws near.

For many of us, Thanksgiving can be a wonderful holiday because it is a time when we look around o

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