Recording every flash of inspiration.
Recording every process of thought, every process of reading, every reflection and re-reflection.
In short, continually recording the past, the present, and the future.
The concept of a gratitude journal came from a psychology experiment in the early twenty-first century. Psychologists Robert Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Michael McCullough of the University of Miami devised this experimental method.
Last year, I sat in on a neuroscience lab and met a senior psychology student.
We started talking about depression at a soup-and-rice restaurant next to Hema in Zhixin City. I asked her about the causes of depression and how it could be treated.
My senior's TII treatment for depression used transcranial magnetic stimulation to regulate the amygdala. Academia believes the amygdala is linked to depression, but perhaps the experiment was still in its early stages. To put it sadly, my senior's experimental results perfectly proved that the amygdala has nothing to do with depression. (Suppressing a laugh.)
The measures she told me about were all related to self-control, and we got around to discussing gratitude journals.
At the time, I thought I could use this method for my own experiment. Interdisciplinary work can easily spark new ideas, but in the end I never got anything done.
Now I'm preparing to keep a gratitude journal. I'll try to write down beautiful things and to establish cause and effect in a positive direction, though I can't promise there won't be hidden sadness in it.
Theme: When I started counting my blessings, my whole life changed.
21+
