The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction Gratitude has several implications. Over time, a logical relationship has been established between gratitude and well-being. In addition, researchers aimed to establish associations between gratitude and other factors of positive feelings using scientific methods. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to develop gratitude and its benefits to human beings. Objective This study aimed to evaluate and quantify the available scientific evidence on interventions to acquire knowledge on gratitude as a quantifiable causal factor of benefit to human beings. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies that investigated the effects of gratitude interventions. MEDLINE, Embase, and Central Cochrane databases were searched in addition to gray (Google Scholar) and manual search. Two authors independently evaluated the titles and abstracts, and selected the studies that met the inclusion criteria. The searches were conducted between January and July 2022. Results Sixty-four randomized clinical trials were included. The meta-analysis demonstrated that patients who underwent gratitude interventions experienced greater feelings of gratitude, better mental health, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, they experienced other benefits such as a more positive mood and emotions. Conclusion The results demonstrate that acts of gratitude can be used as a therapeutic complement for treating anxiety and depression and can increase positive feelings and emotions in the general population. Prospero database registration: (www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero) under the number CRD42021250799.

A practice‐based study of relational virtues and alliance correspondence in psychodynamic psychotherapy

“…In one of the only meta-analyses to focus exclusively on clinical samples, Chakhssi et al (2018) identified only 14 studies that involved the application of a virtue-based or positive psychology intervention to mental health treatment receiving clients. Similarly, Diniz et al (2023) identified only two studies for their meta-analysis of 64 studies that addressed the effectiveness of a gratitude intervention to improve symptoms and well-being in the context of psychotherapy. In addition, Wade et al (2014) Another class of more recent research frames virtues as client factors that implicitly emerge within effective alliance processes and co-occur with gains in symptoms and well-being (Choe et al, 2023;Jankowski, Hall, et al, 2021).…”

The effectiveness of savouring interventions on well-being in adult clinical populations: A protocol for a systematic review

“…Systematic reviews have previously been published which highlight the efficacy of particular savouring processes in improving participant levels of well-being in addition to reducing symptoms of psychological distress, for example when practising gratitude [ 35 ] or when imagining one’s “Best Possible Self” [ 36 ]. However to date, no systematic review has been published which reports the overall effectiveness of savouring interventions when utilising a broad definition of such interventions as is being proposed in the current study, and is expanded on in the methodology section of this paper.…”