Gratitude Condition Research Articles

How to increase nature connectedness? Effectiveness and mechanisms of a gratitude journal intervention

Abstract Nature connectedness can promote pro‐environmental behaviour and psychological well‐being, but little is known about how nature connectedness can be strengthened. Interventions that seek to enhance nature connectedness by promoting direct nature contact may be impractical because urban areas often lack opportunities for interactions with nature in the daily lives of people. This study examines the effects of a gratitude journal exercise on nature connectedness, psychological well‐being, and engagement in wildlife gardening. Participants (N = 114) were either asked to write down daily three things relating to nature that they were grateful for over a 14‐day period or they were assigned to one of two control groups (a traditional gratitude condition and an activity list condition). Compared to the two control groups, there were no significant differences in any of the outcome variables during the 14‐day period and at 1‐week and 3‐month follow‐ups. However, significant increases in all those outcome variables emerged independent of the group. Qualitative data analysis suggests that the journal exercise promoted increases in the outcome variables by generating self‐knowledge as well as positive emotions and attitudes. Moreover, participants noted that the journal activity made them think about nature in new ways, presumably through answering daily survey questions on nature connectedness. We suggest that the mere activity of regularly reflecting on one's relationship with nature may increase nature connectedness. Interventions that encourage people to contemplate the interconnectedness between themselves and nature could be a viable strategy to strengthen human–nature relationships, especially in urban areas that lack opportunities for interactions with nature. The findings of this study can inform future research concerned with the processes of strengthening nature connectedness and the design of interventions that employ nature‐based journal exercises. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Linguistic and thematic differences in written letters of gratitude to God and gratitude toward others

ABSTRACT There is a dearth of empirical research distinguishing gratitude to God (GTG) from interhuman gratitude (IHG). This study explored linguistic (quantitative) and thematic (qualitative) differences in letters of GTG and letters of IHG. Participants (N = 326 undergraduate students) were randomly assigned to write (a) a letter of GTG, (b) a letter of IHG, or (c) a description of their daily morning routine. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 was used to examine linguistic differences and conventional content analysis was used to explore thematic differences. Few linguistic differences were observed between the gratitude-writing conditions, but both gratitude conditions reported more affective, cognitive, and past-focused time-oriented language compared to the control condition. Qualitative analyses revealed participants in the GTG condition identified a greater breadth and depth of benefits compared to the IHG condition, and there were unique differences pertaining to non-gratitude expressions. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

The effects of rumination, distraction, and gratitude on positive and negative affect.

In a series of classic quasi-experiments, Lyubomirsky, Nolen-Hoeksema, and colleagues demonstrated the negative effects of rumination (vs. distraction) among people with depression. Across five studies, we attempted to replicate the former studies, as well as extend them by adding a third condition, gratitude, and the measurement of positive affect. We measured baseline depression severity and then randomly assigned people to a rumination, distraction, or gratitude condition. Pre- and post-manipulation, we measured depressed mood and positive and negative affect. We also explored whether manipulation-induced changes in affect related to construal of events, problem-solving, and thoughts about future behaviors (i.e., thought-action repertoires). As expected, both the distraction and gratitude conditions dampened negative affect (compared to the rumination condition), and the negative effects of the rumination condition were stronger among people relatively higher in baseline depression (compared to the distraction condition). Also as expected, the gratitude condition promoted positive affect when compared to the rumination and distraction conditions, an effect that was unmoderated by baseline depression. Furthermore, gratitude-induced changes in positive affect uniquely related to more positive construal of events, as well as higher positivity and lower negativity in thought-action repertoires. In sum, we found strong evidence that positive affect-above and beyond negative affect-facilitates healthy thought patterns, and we provide support for the idea that increasing positive affect should be a direct goal of treatments for depression, in addition to reducing negative affect. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Are Some Ways of Expressing Gratitude More Beneficial Than Others? Results From a Randomized Controlled Experiment

Gratitude activities have been shown to increase well-being and other positive outcomes in numerous experiments to date. The current study tested whether self-directed gratitude interventions that vary by type (i.e., social vs. nonsocial) and format (i.e., long-form letters vs. shorter lists) produce differential benefits. To that end, 958 Australian adults were assigned to one of six activities to complete each day for 1 week, including five gratitude activities that varied by type and format and an active control condition (i.e., keeping track of daily activities). Regressed change analyses revealed that, overall, long-form writing exercises (i.e., essays and letters) resulted in greater subjective well-being and other positive outcomes than lists. Indeed, those who were instructed to write social and nonsocial gratitude lists did not differ from controls on any outcomes. However, participants who wrote unconstrained gratitude lists—that is, those who wrote about any topics they wanted—reported greater feelings of gratitude and positive affect than did controls. Finally, relative to the other gratitude conditions, participants who wrote gratitude letters to particular individuals in their lives not only showed stronger feelings of gratitude, elevation, and other positive emotions but also reported feeling more indebted. This study demonstrates that not only does gratitude “work” to boost well-being relative to an active neutral activity, but that some forms of gratitude may be more effective than others. We hope these findings help scholars and practitioners to develop, tailor, implement, and scale future gratitude-based interventions.

Leaving Past Adversities Behind: Gratitude Intervention Compensates for the Undesirable Effects of Past Time Perspectives on Negative Affect.

Both gratitude and savoring the moment are considered to be well-established “well-being boosters” (WBBs). Each of them has a salient temporal reference: Gratitude is past-related, whereas savoring the moment refers to the present. The temporal match–mismatch model posits that time perspectives (TPs) moderate the effects of WBBs on well-being if they refer to the same temporal frame (e.g., gratitude and Past-Positive). Our study tested whether TPs moderate the effects of two positive interventions on positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). The participants (N = 174 individuals, 73% women) completed measures of TPs, PA, and NA, followed by a brief intervention of gratitude (N = 86) or savoring (N = 88). Subsequently, they completed the PA/NA measures again. Both interventions significantly decreased NA but did not foster PA. The magnitude of the shift in NA in the gratitude condition depended on the levels of past TPs: Individuals high in Past-Negative and low in Past-Positive displayed greater baseline NA than their counterparts; however, the difference was leveled after the gratitude intervention. No interaction effects between the present TPs and the savoring intervention were observed. The results suggest that practicing gratitude may diminish the undesirable consequences of negative views of the past.

Satisfied yet striving: Gratitude fosters life satisfaction and improvement motivation in youth.

Could 10 min of gratitude per week have the potential to change the trajectories of young students' lives? With over 1,000 ninth- and tenth-grade students, we tested whether a simple 4-week classroom-based gratitude intervention would prompt increases in well-being and motivate students to become better people and attain better grades. Over the course of 1 month, students were assigned to spend 10 min each week writing gratitude letters to their parents, teachers, coaches, or friends and completing additional gratitude-related reflection activities or to try to become more organized each week by listing their daily activities and reflecting on the obstacles and benefits (control). Importantly, relative to controls, students in the gratitude conditions reported greater LS and motivation to improve themselves and maintained these levels throughout the semester. This sustained self-improvement motivation and LS were partially mediated by increases in feelings of connectedness, elevation, and indebtedness. Interestingly, negative affect partially mediated the effect of gratitude on LS, but not on improvement motivation. No group differences emerged in academic performance over time. This study provides evidence that expressing gratitude and reflecting on their benefactors' actions may help keep high school students motivated and satisfied with their lives over the course of a semester. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Impact of Gratitude on Connection With Nature: The Mediating Role of Positive Emotions of Self-Transcendence.

Gratitude, as one of the positive emotions associated with self-transcendence, is also a moral and pro-social emotion with a pro-social nature. Therefore, in order to verify whether gratitude has the same effect as pro-social in promoting connection with nature, this study (N = 890) divided subjects into three groups (gratitude, recreation, and control) and used a questionnaire to explore the effects of gratitude on positive emotions of self-transcendence, connection with nature, and pro-environmental tendencies (willingness to participate in environmental protection, willingness to sacrifice for the environment). The results found that (1) positive emotions of self-transcendence partially mediated the effect of the gratitude condition on connection to nature, and (2) positive emotions of self-transcendence and connection to nature were fully and continuously mediated, suggesting that the gratitude condition had an indirect effect on both (a) willingness to participate in environmental protection and (b) willingness to sacrifice for the environment. These findings imply that we may need to pay more attention to the connection between gratitude and nature to promote a harmonious relationship between humans and nature.

The Benefit of Gratitude: Trait Gratitude Is Associated With Effective Economic Decision-Making in the Ultimatum Game.

The current research investigated the role of gratitude in economic decisions about offers that vary in fairness yet benefit both parties if accepted. Participants completed a trait/dispositional gratitude measure and then were randomly assigned to recall either an event that made them feel grateful (i.e., induced gratitude condition) or the events of a typical day (i.e., neutral condition). After the gratitude induction task, participants played the ultimatum game (UG), deciding whether to accept or reject fair offers (i.e., proposer: responder ratio $5:5) and unfair offers (i.e., proposer: responder ratios of $9:1, $8:2, or $7:3) from different proposers. Results showed that trait gratitude was positively correlated with respondents’ acceptance of unfair offers. However, experimentally induced momentary gratitude did not influence acceptance of unfair offers. The trait or disposition to be grateful involves the enduring capacity across different types of situations and benefactors to see the good that is present, even when that benefit is small. Accordingly, dispositional gratitude – but not momentarily induced gratitude – was associated with a greater propensity to accept even the small benefits within unfair offers which otherwise pose barriers to making the effective economic decision of accepting offers regardless of their relative size.

Methods of gratitude expression and their effects upon well-being: Texting may be just as rewarding as and less risky than face-to-face

ABSTRACT In three studies of U.S. and Taiwanese participants, we tested the common assumption that it is more satisfying to express gratitude face-to-face (FtF) than indirectly (i.e. by text or email). Scenario-based Study 1 assessed lay theories, finding that participants indeed expected more positive emotion but also expected more negative emotion to accompany FtF expression. Retrospective study 2 assigned participants to recall their emotions after a recent time they thanked somebody, either FtF or by text message. Positive emotions did not differ in the two conditions. Longitudinal Study 3 assigned participants to create three thanking episodes, either FtF, by phone, or by text. All three gratitude conditions boosted well-being compared to a neutral control condition, but differed little from each other in their effects. Cultural differences were observed but were mostly irrelevant to our hypotheses. Our results indicate that texting somebody a quick ‘thank you’ may be just as positively impactful as, and less risky than, thanking them to their face.

Gratitude Intervention on Instagram: An Experimental Study

Gratitude interventions have been consistently found to enhance individuals’ gratitude level. However, most of the existing gratitude interventions require handwriting that is difficult to sustain among young adults who often use social networking sites. This study thus proposed and tested a social media-based gratitude intervention. Thirty-three undergraduate students aged between 18 and 24 years were randomly assigned to gratitude group and control group. Participants in the gratitude group were instructed to post one picture with a caption related to gratitude on Instagram for 7 days. Likewise, the control group was to post a picture with caption related to colour. All participants answered Big Five Inventory short version before the intervention as well as the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Items Form, Perceived Stress Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale before and after the intervention. Analysis of covariance (controlling personality traits, pre- and post-measured stress and life satisfaction) indicated that students in the gratitude condition reported higher levels of gratitude than those in the control group. No significant difference was observed for post-measured stress and life satisfaction. Overall, the preliminary findings support that the gratitude intervention through Instagram is a promising method to increase gratitude among young adults.

Thanks for your ideas: Gratitude and team creativity

Many ideas and products are borne out of collaborative efforts among members of teams and workgroups, and thus finding ways to improve team creativity is of significant interest. Adopting a collective information processing perspective, we argue that gratitude intervention for teams would serve as a powerful facilitator for information elaboration—whereby team members engage in more deliberate and thorough integration of others’ ideas—and, in turn, enhance team creativity. Study 1 found that teams in the gratitude condition increased information elaboration more than those in the neutral condition. Study 2 compared teams in gratitude emotion and teams in positive emotion in general. Teams in the gratitude condition generated highly creative ideas, due to more information elaboration. On the other hand, teams in the positive emotion condition expressed greater enthusiasm and confidence in their ideas and immediately accepted the ideas suggested, which led to an increase in the quantity of ideas. Our findings suggest that gratitude facilitates intellectual exchange in groups, which in turn enhances team creativity. We discuss our findings’ implications for team creativity and potential directions for future research.

Thanks, mom and dad! An experimental study of gratitude letter writing for Asian and White American emerging adults

ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of a gratitude writing intervention on Asian American and White American emerging adults’ positive and negative affect and experience of gratitude. A total of 581 emerging adults completed an online survey twice, 2 weeks apart. In the first survey, participants were randomly assigned to either a control condition (writing objective facts about their parents) or a gratitude condition (writing a gratitude letter to their parents) after completing measures on their demographics, well-being, and experience of gratitude. In the second survey, participants completed measures on well-being and experience of gratitude. Gratitude writing had a significant buffering effect on participants’ positive affect 2 weeks after the intervention, but not on other outcomes. Several significant interaction effects indicated that gratitude writing was more effective for individuals who had low quality parent–child relationship and those who endorsed high levels of familial collectivism and had low quality parent–child relationships. Gratitude writing could benefit emerging adults and their parents by acting as a protective factor for positive affect, which may provide space for Asian American emerging adults and their parents to explore ways to understand issues revolving around their relationship. Further implications for research and clinical practice were discussed.

Grateful students are motivated, engaged, and successful in school: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental evidence

Previous research on gratitude has mostly focused on its effects on well-being. However, scant attention has been paid to how gratitude is associated with key learning-related outcomes. The aim of this series of studies was to examine how gratitude is associated with students' motivation, engagement, and achievement. Study 1, a cross-sectional study, found that gratitude was positively associated with higher levels of autonomous motivation and engagement (rs ranging from 0.17 to 0.20, p < .05). Study 2, a longitudinal study, found that gratitude was concurrently and prospectively associated with autonomous motivation (rs ranging from 0.20 to 0.78, p < .05), self-reported and teacher-reported engagement (rs ranging from 0.11 to 0.68, p < .05), and achievement (rs ranging from 0.38 to 0.41, p < .05). Study 3, an experimental study, showed that students who were in the gratitude condition perceived themselves to be more engaged (Cohen's d ranging from 0.58 to 0.63) compared to those in the control condition. The three studies provided converging evidence that grateful students have better learning-related outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Three good deeds and three blessings: The kindness and gratitude interventions with Chinese prisoners.

Studies have found lower well-being among prisoners than in the general population. Positive psychological interventions provide fruitful ways of enhancing people's well-being, but little is known about whether these contribute to prisoners' well-being. To test the effects of two typical positive psychological interventions - kindness and gratitude - on Chinese prisoners' well-being. One hundred and forty-four participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: kindness or gratitude groups in addition to 'treatment as usual' and a control condition of treatment as usual alone, with 48 men in each condition. Participants completed established well-being measures before and after the 6-week intervention and a similar period in control conditions. Both kindness and gratitude interventions significantly increased prisoners' well-being compared to the control group. The kindness intervention promoted higher well-being than the gratitude intervention. Although both kindness and gratitude interventions enhanced prisoners' happiness and mitigated negative affect, the weaker effect of the gratitude condition reflects Chinese strongly communal culture, so further cross-cultural studies would be of interest. Future research should also include longer term follow-up and expand the work to include women in prison.

Gratitude intervention modulates P3 amplitude in a temporal discounting task.

Gratitude has been shown to reduce economic impatience. In particular, individuals induced to experience heightened gratitude are more willing to choose delayed larger rewards over immediate smaller rewards (i.e., they have lower discounting rates) than those in a neutral condition. Using the event-related potential (ERP) method, we investigated the relation between gratitude level and neurophysiological correlates. Of interest was motivated information processing, as indexed by the P3 component. Participants were administered a gratitude or a neutral mood induction followed by a temporal discounting task (choosing between a fixed immediate reward versus a future reward that varied across trials) while electroencephalogram (EEG) activity was recorded. Individuals in the gratitude condition had greater P3 amplitude, suggesting greater attention to the future-reward option (the choice option that varied across trials), even when this option was not selected, and providing the first evidence of gratitude-induced changes in electrophysiological activity.

An attitude of gratitude: The effects of body-focused gratitude on weight bias internalization and body image

Internalized weight bias and body dissatisfaction are associated with a number of negative psychological and physical health outcomes. The current study examined the effectiveness of body-focused gratitude, through a short writing exercise, as a strategy to reduce internalized weight bias and improve body image. Young adults (Mage = 22.71, SD = 2.08, 51.2% female) were randomly assigned to either a body gratitude condition (n = 185) or a control condition (n = 184). Results indicated that participants in the gratitude condition reported significantly lower weight bias internalization and significantly more favorable appearance evaluation and greater body satisfaction when compared to the control condition. These effects were in the small range (ds = 0.27-0.33), and neither gender nor BMI moderated these effects. These findings provide preliminary support for body-focused gratitude writing exercises as an effective individual-level strategy for both reducing internalized weight bias and improving body image.

‘The Three Good Things’ – The effects of gratitude practice on wellbeing: A randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThere are mixed findings concerning the effectiveness of gratitude interventions. This study investigated a commonly used gratitude-based intervention (‘count–your–blessings’) in promoting physical and psychological wellbeing in a UK sample.MethodsA randomised controlled trial to examine the efficacy of a three–week gratitude intervention in promoting psychological and physical health. 108 healthy participants (aged 18–36) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions (gratitude or no–assigned activity). Those in the gratitude condition kept daily gratitude journals for 21 days. Participants completed self–report measures related to gratefulness, affect, prosociality, physical and subjective wellbeing. These measures were collected at two time–points (pre– and post–intervention), three weeks apart. Two separate analyses were conducted for participants who completed the intervention (Completer analysis) and including those who dropped out (Intention–to–treat analysis [ITT]).FindingsCompleter analysis revealed that the gratitude condition resulted in heightened feelings of gratefulness. Those in the grateful condition showed greater increases in state gratitude and positive affect, relative to the control condition, who reported a reduction in wellbeing. Overall, the ITT analysis yielded essentially the same findings as the completer analysis.DiscussionCounting one’s blessings can improve wellbeing and could be incorporated in existing psychotherapies. This brief and simple intervention warrants further investigation.

Does gratitude writing improve the mental health of psychotherapy clients? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Although the past decade has witnessed growing research interest in positive psychological interventions (PPIs), their potential as adjunctive interventions for psychotherapy remains relatively unexplored. Therefore, this article expands the frontiers of PPI research by reporting the first randomized controlled trial to test a gratitude writing adjunctive intervention for psychotherapy clients. Participants were 293 adults seeking university-based psychotherapy services. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) control (psychotherapy only), (b) a psychotherapy plus expressive writing, and (c) a psychotherapy plus gratitude writing. Participants in the gratitude condition wrote letters expressing gratitude to others, whereas those in the expressive writing condition wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings about stressful experiences. About 4 weeks as well as 12 weeks after the conclusion of the writing intervention, participants in the gratitude condition reported significantly better mental health than those in the expressive and control conditions, whereas those in the expressive and control conditions did not differ significantly. Moreover, lower proportions of negative emotion words in participants’ writing mediated the positive effect of condition (gratitude versus expressive writing) on mental health. These findings are discussed in light of the use of gratitude interventions as adjunctive interventions for psychotherapy clients.

No Evidence That Gratitude Enhances Neural Performance Monitoring or Conflict-Driven Control.

It has recently been suggested that gratitude can benefit self-regulation by reducing impulsivity during economic decision making. We tested if comparable benefits of gratitude are observed for neural performance monitoring and conflict-driven self-control. In a pre-post design, 61 participants were randomly assigned to either a gratitude or happiness condition, and then performed a pre-induction flanker task. Subsequently, participants recalled an autobiographical event where they had felt grateful or happy, followed by a post-induction flanker task. Despite closely following existing protocols, participants in the gratitude condition did not report elevated gratefulness compared to the happy group. In regard to self-control, we found no association between gratitude—operationalized by experimental condition or as a continuous predictor—and any control metric, including flanker interference, post-error adjustments, or neural monitoring (the error-related negativity, ERN). Thus, while gratitude might increase economic patience, such benefits may not generalize to conflict-driven control processes.

Evidence for Vicarious Hope and Vicarious Gratitude

Theorists posit that well-being reflects an optimal balance of self- and other-interest. An index of other-interest may be the degree to which hope and gratitude concern others (termed vicarious hope and vicarious gratitude) in addition to concerning the self. We examined the frequency of vicarious responses generated by participants (N = 350) invited to list ten things for which they were hopeful or grateful. Results showed that, on average, about 13 % of participants’ responses were other-oriented, that such responses were more likely to occur in the hope than in the gratitude condition, and that they were more likely to occur in conditions where task instructions primed inclusion of others. The generation of vicarious responses correlated with the trait of empathic concern. Implications of these findings for future work on vicarious hope and vicarious gratitude are discussed.