It's that time of the year where everyone reminds you to be grateful.

But what if you don't want to be grateful?

Not everyone acknowledges that it's difficult to be engaged with gratitude, and I'm here to talk about why.

Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist. I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on this show,

I'll help you face life's challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Gratitude, though beneficial, can be challenging to practice consistently, and psychological research

sheds light on several reasons why it may be

difficult for many individuals. Some of these key factors I'm going to review today. The first is

negativity bias. So humans naturally have a tendency to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones,

a phenomenon known as negativity bias. Evolutionarily, this bias helped our ancestors focus on

potential threats for survival. However, it also makes it harder to recognize and appreciate

positive experiences in everyday life.

The brain tends to give more attention to problems, setbacks, or disappointments,

which can overshadow feelings of gratitude.

The next thing I want to mention is high expectations or comparisons.

So when people have high expectations for themselves or compare their lives to others, it can diminish their ability to feel

gratitude. This is particularly common in the age of social media when people are constantly

exposed to idealized versions of other people's lives.

Feeling inadequate or dissatisfied with one's own achievements or circumstances makes it

harder to focus on what is good as the mind often fixates on what's lacking. The next thing to

mention is cognitive overload and stress.

So when people are overwhelmed by stress, it can be difficult to pause and reflect on gratitude.

...