Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.
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.
Emmons
Robert A
RA
Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis 95616, USA. raemmons@ucdavis.edu
McCullough
Michael E
ME
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires