Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.

Abstract

The effect of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions (hassles, gratitude listing, and either neutral life events or social comparison); they then kept weekly (Study 1) or daily (Study 2) records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. In a 3rd study, persons with neuromuscular disease were randomly assigned to either the gratitude condition or to a control condition. The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.Reflect on your present blessings, on which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.-Charles Dickens (M. Dickens, 1897, p. 45)The construct of gratitude has inspired considerable interest in the general public. The prevalence of books targeted to general audiences on the topic (

Beyond the hedonic treadmill: Revising the adaptation theory of well-being.

“…They found that several of these interventions led to changes in happiness that persisted for at least six months. Finally, Emmons and McCullough (2003) found that interventions to increase thoughts of gratitude increased levels of positive affect. Although these experimental intervention studies are in the initial stages, they indicate that levels of happiness can be raised.…”

Your Best Life: Breaking the Cycle: The Power of Gratitude

“…When we decide to focus on all that is working in our lives without denying current burdens, we cultivate morepositive thinking and thankfulness. This practice lowers the threshold for feeling-good circuits to discharge in our brain and raises our baseline happiness index [6].…”

“…W hen we decide to focus on all that is good in our lives, happiness increases, blood pressure drops, and heart rate decreases [6,7]. Unfortunately, in orthopaedic surgery, it can be challenging to stop and take note of all of the good stuff.…”

Gratitude-based group intervention manual for college student-athletes

“…That being said, it is apparent how gratefulness accounts for the attainment of positive emotions like happiness. To support this claim, Emmons and McCullough (2003) demarcated on individuals' inclination to count blessings as a way to enhance gratitude that is predictive of subjective well-being.…”

“…A good number of studies identified several predictors of gratitude which includes self-esteem (Bernstein & Simons, 1974), positive affect (Emmons & McCullough, 2003;Froh, Kashdan, Ozimkowski, & Miller, 2009;Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008;Froh, Yurkewicz, & Kashdan, 2009), and life satisfaction (Froh, Yurkewicz, & Kashdan, 2009;Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2004;Peterson, Ruch, Beermann, Park, & Seligman, 2007;Wood, Joseph, & Maltby, 2009). From such findings, it can be assumed that gratitude is not just a mere interpersonally-derived construct but a character that may be intrinsically-motivated.…”