{"id":26297,"date":"2016-12-06T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T08:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/?p=26297"},"modified":"2017-11-29T08:00:14","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:00:14","slug":"the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas Spirit Does Live Within You…And It May Be in Your Brain, Not Just Your Heart!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Did you know that there is an actual location in your brain for Christmas Spirit? I wrote about this last year. (1)<\/a> In summary, researchers implemented a comparison study of ten people with Christmas traditions and ten people without them and compared their brains. The authors results stated there were indeed differences in the brains of those who had a little holiday cheer:<\/p>\n

Significant clusters of increased BOLD activation in the sensory motor cortex, the premotor and primary motor cortex, and the parietal lobule (inferior and superior) were found in scans of people who celebrate Christmas with positive associations compared with scans in a group having no Christmas traditions and neutral associations. These cerebral areas have been associated with spirituality, somatic senses, and recognition of facial emotion among many other functions. <\/em>(1)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In another small study, researchers found similar results:<\/p>\n

Christmas-associated cerebral activation comprises a network involving areas of sensory, motor and emotional processing. The applied method is appropriate for the detection of Christmas-related areas of the brain but the results of the study should be verified in a larger sample size. <\/em><\/strong>(2)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tips for Happier Holidays<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, we can support our own happiness this season and make our brains more cheerful by building happy and rewarding memories! Here’s some tips:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Volunteer<\/strong><\/p>\n

One older study directly supported volunteering to contributing to the Christmas Spirit. (3)<\/a> Furthermore, various other studies have also examined the beneficial impacts between being a volunteer and six aspects of well-being including: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and depression. (4)<\/a>, (5)<\/a>, (6)<\/a>, (7)<\/a>, (8)<\/a><\/p>\n

Interestingly, one study reported there may be a bi-directional relationship with volunteering and well-being, in that, happier people may be more likely to volunteer to start:<\/p>\n

Results show that volunteer work indeed enhances all six aspects of well-being and, conversely, people who have greater well-being invest more hours in volunteer service. Given this, further understanding of self- versus social-selection processes seems an important next step. Do positive, healthy people actively seek out volunteer opportunities, or do organizations actively recruit individuals of these types (or both)? Explaining how positive consequences flow from volunteer service may offer a useful counterpoint to stress theory, which has focused primarily on negative life experiences and their sequelae. <\/em>(4)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another unknown benefit of helping others is that it can physically make you warmer! It’s true and here’s the science!<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gratitude<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I discussed previously, maintaining an attitude of gratitude can help our health<\/a> and well-being through the season. Furthermore, this article lists<\/a>, in a short-and-sweet way, six studies showing how gratitude throughout the year can impact mood for the better long-term.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mindful Giving<\/strong><\/p>\n

Participating in mindful giving<\/a> can help you avoid the crazes and enjoy the giving. Learn how with these six tips.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stress Busting Techniques and Healthy Eating<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read my Thanksgiving Day blogs (found here<\/a> and here)<\/a> which offer a compilation of some stress-relieving techniques, tips for minding your sanity and waistline, and yummy and healthy holiday recipes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What to do with the Holiday Blues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some people struggle with intense emotional upset during the holiday season. In this week’s blog on my homepage, I discussed how the “holiday blues” is a real thing and some of the factors that can contribute to it. I also pointed out some tips to assist someone who is struggling to keep the holiday spirit. You can read it here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s to a beautiful and happy holiday season!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christmas Spirit Does Live Within You…And It May Be in Your Brain, Not Just Your Heart! Did you know that there is an actual location in your brain for Christmas Spirit? I wrote about this last year. (1) In summary, researchers implemented a comparison study of ten people with Christmas traditions and ten people without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1280,1281,1282,850],"class_list":["post-26297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-brain-and-christmas-spirit","tag-holiday-blues-and-natural","tag-holiday-cheer","tag-naturopathic-and-functional-medicine-and-essential-oils"],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christmas Spirit Does Live Within You…And It May Be in Your Brain, Not Just Your Heart! Did you know that there is an actual location in your brain for Christmas Spirit? I wrote about this last year. (1) In summary, researchers implemented a comparison study of ten people with Christmas traditions and ten people without […]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-12-06T08:00:43+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-29T13:00:14+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Sarah\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Sarah\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/\",\"name\":\"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-12-06T08:00:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-29T13:00:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/\",\"name\":\"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3\",\"name\":\"Dr. Sarah\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dr. Sarah\"},\"description\":\"Dr. LoBisco has been in holistic healthcare for over 10 years. She became interested in holistic medicine when she was able to heal two herniated discs through nutrition, yoga, supplementation, and chiropractic. She has mentored with holistic practices throughout New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. In addition to her Naturopathic and Functional Medical training, Dr. LoBisco has extensive training in a variety of healing modalities, including therapeutic essential oils, nutraceuticals, herbs, whole food supplements, nutritional medicine, and mind-body therapies. She is a graduate of the accredited, four year post-graduate program in Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. This program includes clinical rotations and a demanding scientific curriculum in integrating conventional and natural medicine. Dr. LoBisco holds her license from the state of Vermont. Dr. LoBisco has completed her postdoctoral training as a certified functional medicine practitioner. She is also certified in Applied Kinesiology and holds a BA in psychology from SUNY Geneseo. She has contributed as an item writer for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE) and has several articles that have been published in the Naturopathic Doctor News and Review Digest (NDNR) and the Townsend Letter, both physician- based journals. Dr. LoBisco is also a hired speaker on integrative medical topics for medical professionals. Dr. LoBisco currently incorporates her training in holistic medical practices and conventional medicine through writing, researching, private practice, and through her independent contracting work for companies regarding supplements, nutraceuticals, essential oils, and medical foods. She has a small, private wellness consultation practice through telephone and Skype. Dr. LoBisco also enjoys continuing to educate and empower her readers through her blogs and social media. Her new book, BreakFree Medicine, is now available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/author\/slobisco\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","og_description":"Christmas Spirit Does Live Within You…And It May Be in Your Brain, Not Just Your Heart! Did you know that there is an actual location in your brain for Christmas Spirit? I wrote about this last year. (1) In summary, researchers implemented a comparison study of ten people with Christmas traditions and ten people without […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/","og_site_name":"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","article_published_time":"2016-12-06T08:00:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-11-29T13:00:14+00:00","author":"Dr. Sarah","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dr. Sarah","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/","url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/","name":"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-12-06T08:00:43+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-29T13:00:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2016\/12\/the-science-of-christmas-spirit-and-how-to-nurture-holiday-cheer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Science of Christmas Spirit and How to Nurture Holiday Cheer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/","name":"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3","name":"Dr. Sarah","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dr. Sarah"},"description":"Dr. LoBisco has been in holistic healthcare for over 10 years. She became interested in holistic medicine when she was able to heal two herniated discs through nutrition, yoga, supplementation, and chiropractic. She has mentored with holistic practices throughout New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. In addition to her Naturopathic and Functional Medical training, Dr. LoBisco has extensive training in a variety of healing modalities, including therapeutic essential oils, nutraceuticals, herbs, whole food supplements, nutritional medicine, and mind-body therapies. She is a graduate of the accredited, four year post-graduate program in Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. This program includes clinical rotations and a demanding scientific curriculum in integrating conventional and natural medicine. Dr. LoBisco holds her license from the state of Vermont. Dr. LoBisco has completed her postdoctoral training as a certified functional medicine practitioner. She is also certified in Applied Kinesiology and holds a BA in psychology from SUNY Geneseo. She has contributed as an item writer for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE) and has several articles that have been published in the Naturopathic Doctor News and Review Digest (NDNR) and the Townsend Letter, both physician- based journals. Dr. LoBisco is also a hired speaker on integrative medical topics for medical professionals. Dr. LoBisco currently incorporates her training in holistic medical practices and conventional medicine through writing, researching, private practice, and through her independent contracting work for companies regarding supplements, nutraceuticals, essential oils, and medical foods. She has a small, private wellness consultation practice through telephone and Skype. Dr. LoBisco also enjoys continuing to educate and empower her readers through her blogs and social media. Her new book, BreakFree Medicine, is now available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble.","url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/author\/slobisco\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26297"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26297"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28051,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26297\/revisions\/28051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}