Gratitude: The Foundation of Happiness
Interview Op: Greg Hammer, MD, Stanford University Professor, Physician, Best-Selling Author, and mindfulness expert, discusses the importance of Gratitude on your journey to Health and Happiness.
The constant onslaught of traumatic events displayed in the media and on the news has generated an overarching feeling of despair that has become the new norm. In this era of social, political, and economic unrest, it’s easy to be fearful, depressed or overwhelmed as we try to navigate the hardships of our day to day lives. But what if one small step like expressing gratitude could change the stress of all of that? Well, it can, and Gratitude is available every moment of every day. Gratitude can also be one of the most powerful tools for staying healthy and centered as it takes you on the superhighway to happiness.
Talk Points:
- How can Gratitude reduce depression and improve personal resilience?
- Happiness starts from within—we all have reason to know this is true, but how can we actually begin to blossom?
- Can Gratitude rewire your brain and enhance your brainpower?
- Why are appreciation and gratitude essential to our well-being and central to our experience of eudemonic happiness?
- What are some examples of gratitude practices we can put in place in our lives?
- How important are mindfulness and meditation in the process of gratitude?
A member of the Stanford WellMD initiative, Dr. Hammer is the former Chair of the Physician Wellness Task Force for the California Society of Anesthesiologists. He has been a visiting professor and lecturer on wellness at institutions worldwide and teaches GAIN to medical students, residents, and fellows at Stanford.
Dr. Hammer’s clinical focus is in pediatric cardiac anesthesia and pediatric critical care medicine. His research is in developmental pharmacology and immunology, and he has an active laboratory with multiple ongoing studies in these areas. He has published widely on topics related to pharmacology and perioperative care of children undergoing cardiac and thoracic procedures as well as organ transplantation. Dr. Hammer is a health enthusiast and meditator, utilizing a non-duality and mindfulness-based approach, including the GAIN method.
