Giving Encouragement
Giving Encouragement / Author: Cynthia Greene
The word “Encourage” has the word “courage” in it. Encouragement is defined as giving support, confidence, or hope to others. True courage only comes from God, so when Christians encourage each other we are reminding each other to “take courage” and have “hope” that God is with us and that He will bring us through any situation that we face.
“We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.” (Romans 15:2, NLT)
Neuroscience has shown that giving encouragement releases oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine. These hormones boost our moods and block cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone.
In an article entitled: “3 Specific Ways that Helping Others Benefits Your Brain” you can read about how encouraging others benefits your brain. Three of these ways are:
- Reduced stress-related activity in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, right anterior insula, and right amygdala.
- Greater reward-related activity in left and right ventral striatum.
- Greater caregiving-related activity in septal area.
How can you encourage someone today?
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