Science of Connectedness is a new blog by Sarah Koss that explores spirituality and health through research and reflection.
Sarah Koss is a Summer 2016 research intern working with Drs. Michael and Tracy Balboni, with a primarily focus on the National Clergy Project. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in honors psychology and just completed the first year of her Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Sarah has two main, interconnected research interests: 1) The relationship between spirituality/religion and aspects of subjective well-being, such as happiness; and 2) The intersection of spirituality/religion and medicine, with a particular focus on end-of-life and palliative care, chaplaincy, and medical education.
During her studies, Sarah noticed how difficult it is for public to access academic studies. Given that research in her area of focus can have immediate, positive impacts on people’s lives, Sarah recently started a blog entitled, “Science of Connectedness,” to showcase some of this research. Each blog post features a different spiritual tool based on psychosocial and public health research. For example, the following is an excerpt from her post of gratitude:
“My mom has always said, “It is impossible to be unhappy and grateful at the same time” and, as much as it irked me to admit as a child, I wholeheartedly agree with her now. Not only has gratitude proven itself over and over again in my own life, but there is substantial scientific evidence that supports its use. Practicing gratitude has been shown to bolster self-esteem and self-worth, promote the savoring of positive experiences, help cope with stress and trauma, encourage moral behavior, nurture and strengthen relationships, decrease social comparisons, diminish anger, and generally increase happiness and well-being.[i]
One of the main suggestions for practicing gratitude is writing a list of what you are grateful for.[ii] Perhaps this will include the customer service representative who kindly waived a fee (that’s on my list from this week!), or perhaps simply a list of people in your life who love and support you; they don’t need to have done anything specific, you may just appreciate having them as part of your life! Beyond people, the list can continue with places, things, circumstances, opportunities, and anything else that speaks to you.”
[i] Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want(p. 90). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
[ii] Emmons, R. A., and McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84: 377–89.
Read more and view her other posts: Science of Connectedness
To contact Sarah, email her at sarah_koss@mail.harvard.edu.