Frequency | Repeated | Repetition Duration | Duration | Modality | Video/Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 times a week | Yes | 2 weeks | 15 minutes | Solo/by oneself, Writing/journaling | No |
Gratitude Journal
Participants are instructed to keep a gratitude journal in which they write about three to five things that they feel grateful for several times per week, and encouraged to include details about the context and social or emotional experiences associated with each thing on their list.
Reasoning
Reflecting on aspects of life that evoke gratitude brings positive information into awareness and associates that goodness with sources that are outside of the self, like favorable circumstances, luck, or the kindness of other people. Writing a gratitude journal directs attention to goodness in life that people might otherwise take for granted. With repetition, journaling about gratitude can make people more attuned to everyday sources of goodness—and lead to a more emotionally positive, optimistic, and prosocial outlook. For this exercise writing is important, as research suggests that translating mental experiences into concrete language and visual-motor activity allocates more attention to them, which deepens their emotional impact and makes them more memorable.
Procedure
Participants are instructed to write about three to five things that make them feel grateful repeatedly (e.g. daily or three times per week) for a designated duration of time (e.g. 1 to 4 weeks). The goal is for participants to reflect upon and consider sources and circumstances associated with goodness in their life. Participants are instructed to include specific details about each of the things on their list, such as time of day, situational context, and other people involved.
Primary Citation & Study Summary:
Emmons, R. A., & 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(2), 377-389.
People who wrote in a Gratitude Journal weekly for 10 weeks or daily for two weeks experienced more gratitude, positive moods, and optimism about the future, as well as better sleep, compared to those who journaled about hassles or their daily life.
More Evidence
Davis, D. E., Choe, E., Meyers, J., Wade, N., Varjas, K., Gifford, A., Quinn, A., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Griffin, B. J., & Worthington, E. L., Jr. (2016). Thankful for the little things: A meta-analysis of gratitude interventions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000107
Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2021). Gratitude interventions: Effective self-help? A meta-analysis of the impact on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Journal of Happiness Studies: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Subjective Well-Being, 22(1), 413–445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00236-6