If Gratitude Was a Drug

Two foundational concepts in basic pharmacology are pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Put simply, pharmacokinetics refers to the way in which the body acts on the drug and pharmacodynamics refers to the way the drug acts on the body. Let us consider the creative application of how the body acts on gratitude and how gratitude acts on the body.

There are 4 processes in pharmacokinetics: drug absorption, drug distribution, drug metabolism, and drug excretion. The acronym ADME is often used. In pharmacodynamics, there are three interactions that can influence the effect of a drug: drug-disease interactions, drug-drug interactions, and the drug and aging interactions. How can we apply these concepts as if Gratitude was a Drug?

First, this is a fun exercise: to apply scientific concepts or processes to the value or virtue, principle or practice, experience or expression of gratitude. The kinetics of gratitude may be to observe how gratitude gets absorbed into one’s experience in the moment (absorption). This is followed by following the flow of gratitude throughout the mind, heart, body, and soul (distribution). Next up is how gratitude gets metabolized in the system, broken down into meaning, mindfulness, and perhaps even magnificence (metabolism). Finally, the act of how gratitude emerges from an individual, how it gets expressed, and experienced like an extemporary prayer (excretion). The ADME of gratitude may be an area of personal development that embodies the essence of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

The dynamics of gratitude are as exciting to play with as the kinetics. How does gratitude interact with a disease or disorder? What about the ways that gratitude interacts with other emotional or mental processes that are active in one’s moment experience? How does gratitude interact with a person’s socio-emotional development? It is fun to think about how gratitude neutralize diseases and disorders, how it may enhance positive emotions and experiences while eliminating negative ones, and how gratitude influences the quality of life over the years.

If gratitude was a prayer rather than a drug then this famous quote comes to mind:

“If the only prayer one says in life is “Thank You”, that would suffice.” Meister Eckhart