A gratitude journal is a

diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...

of things for which someone is grateful. Keeping a gratitude journal is a popular practice in the field of

positive psychology Positive psychology is the scientific study of conditions and processes that contribute to positive psychological states (e.g., contentment, joy), well-being, Positive psychology of relationships, positive relationships, and positive institutio ...

. It is also referred to as “counting one's blessings” or “three good things”. Empirical findings on the benefits of gratitude journals have shown significant impact on psychological and physical

well-being Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors. ...

. Early research revealed individuals who regularly documented things they were grateful for, experienced heightened optimism, increased

exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

time, fewer physical symptoms, and greater progress towards goals. Such benefits were observed in adults with neuromuscular diseases, noting improved optimism,

sleep Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...

quality, and connection to others. Studies extended to

childhood A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

, where gratitude practices enhanced life satisfaction and school satisfaction among early adolescents. Further research highlighted gratitude's

neural correlate The neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) are the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related. Neuroscientists use empirical approaches to discover neural correla ...

s, particularly in the medial

prefrontal cortex In mammalian brain anatomy, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) covers the front part of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. It is the association cortex in the frontal lobe. The PFC contains the Brodmann areas BA8, BA9, BA10, BA11, BA12, ...

, linking directly to participants' gratitude levels. Comparative studies on happiness interventions ranked gratitude journals highly for their accessibility and impact on happiness. Exploration into the content of journals found entries prompting deeper reflection on gratitude's cause significantly enhanced happiness and well-being. The debate continues regarding optimal frequency of gratitude journaling for maintaining its psychological benefits, with some evidence favoring weekly over daily journaling. Most studies concurred that 3-10 items per journal entry strikes the best balance between fostering gratitude, and avoiding potential boredom.

Major empirical findings

Early research studies on gratitude journals by Emmons & McCullough found "counting one's blessings" in a journal led to improved psychological and physical functioning. Participants who recorded weekly journals, each consisting of five things they were grateful for, were more optimistic towards the upcoming week and life as a whole, spent more time exercising, and had fewer symptoms of physical illness. Participants who kept daily gratitude journals reported increased overall gratitude, positive affect, enthusiasm, determination, and alertness. They were also more likely to help others and make progress towards their personal goals, compared to those who did not keep gratitude journals. For a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, writing daily gratitude journals for 3 weeks lead to increased

optimism Optimism is the Attitude (psychology), attitude or mindset of expecting events to lead to particularly positive, favorable, desirable, and hopeful outcomes. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is Is the glass half empty ...

about one's life, longer and more refreshing sleep, greater positive emotions, and feeling more connected to others. Overall, participants who kept weekly or daily gratitude journals had greater psychological and physical benefits when compared to participants who did not keep gratitude journals.Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Personality & Social Psychology, 88, 377-389. Neural correlates of gratitude

Furthermore, the positive effects of gratitude can begin as early as childhood. A study conducted by Froh, Sefick, and Emmons in 2008Froh, Jeffrey J., William J. Sefick, and Robert A. Emmons. "Counting Blessings in Early Adolescents: An Experimental Study of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being." Journal of School Psychology 46.2 (2008): 213-33. examined the effects of a grateful outlook on the subjective well being of 221 early adolescents in sixth and seventh grade. The children were asked to “count their blessings” and set aside time daily to list what they were thankful for. Results found that counting one's blessings was associated with enhanced self-reported feelings of gratitude, optimism, life satisfaction, and decreased negative affect. Furthermore, exhibiting gratitude correlated to long-term satisfaction with school experience. Another benefit may be that gratitude journals are a relatively easy and enjoyable way to boost happiness: Parks et al. found that when presented with eight different happiness interventions, gratitude journals were the third most popular (preceded by “Goal evaluation and tracking” and “Savoring the moment”). Similarly, Seligman et al.Seligman, M.; Steen, T.A.; Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions,” American Psychologist, 60:410-421. found that participants were more likely to continue their “three good things” exercise on their own after the one-week intervention than the other exercises, and this lack of attrition mediated the link between the exercise and its benefits.

Applications

In light of the body of literature on the benefits of gratitude journals, researchers have investigated how to maximize these benefits. One study investigating the efficacy of a number of

happiness Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

interventions instructed participants to complete gratitude journals either once or three times per week. Results indicated that weekly gratitude journals led to a significant increase in happiness, but thrice-weekly gratitude journals did not. This study compared the gratitude intervention to a different activity in which participants completed five acts of

kindness Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It can be directed towards o ...

, either all in one day or spread out over the week. The results for this activity were remarkably similar to the results of the gratitude journals: those in the single-day condition reported a significant increase in well-being, while those who spread their acts of kindness across several days did not. The authors suggested that spreading out these happiness-boosting activities—gratitude or kindness—may have diminished their saliency or their novelty. Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005) Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131. These results suggest that a once-weekly gratitude journal is most beneficial. Seligman et al. examined the effects of a similar intervention over a longer period of time. Participants were instructed to write down “three good things” that happened at the end of each day, in addition to a causal explanation for each good thing. After completing this activity every day for a week, participants began to report more happiness and less depression after one month, an effect that remained at three- and six-month follow-ups. The beneficial effects of the “three good things” exercise lasted longer than effects of other week-long interventions (writing about yourself at your best, identifying signature strengths, and delivering a letter of gratitude) and results suggest that gratitude journals may have a greater long-term impact than other happiness interventions. However, the long-term benefits of weekly versus daily gratitude journaling remains unclear.

Examples

Some research has found that gratitude journal entries that address and answer the questions “Why am I grateful for this? Why did this good thing happen?” are exceptionally beneficial because they cause the individual to think about and recognize their gratitude and its cause. Some studies have had participants use a

template Template may refer to: Tools * Die (manufacturing), used to cut or shape material * Mold, in a molding process * Stencil, a pattern or overlay used in graphic arts (drawing, painting, etc.) and sewing to replicate letters, shapes or designs C ...

for writing in their journal entry. Following the “I am grateful for ___________, because ________________” template has been shown to result in increased happiness and subjective well being.Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and

subjective well-being Subjective well-being (SWB) is a concept of well-being (happiness) that focus on evaluations from the perspective of the people who's lives are being evaluated rather than from some objective viewpoint. SWB measures often rely on self-reports, bu ...

in daily life. Personality & Social Psychology, 88, 377-389. Having deeper, more personal things to be grateful for yields greater happiness and increased gratitude.The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/tips_for_keeping_a_gratitude_journal

Questions around greatest effectiveness

Researchers disagree as to whether it is more beneficial to keep a weekly or daily gratitude journal. Some studies suggest daily gratitude journals produce larger increases in overall gratitude levels than weekly journals. However, other researchers believe that weekly journaling is best, because people can adapt to the effects of daily journaling too quickly and lose the most beneficial effects of gratitude journals. One study found that people who kept weekly journals had benefits greater than those who kept daily journals, while another study found that weekly gratitude journals resulted in higher levels of happiness than thrice-weekly gratitude journaling. While certain effects may differ slightly for weekly and daily gratitude journals, both have proven to be beneficial for psychological well-being. Most studies investigating gratitude journals have found that including 3-10 items, in each journal entry, yields the most beneficial results. While the majority of research has participants only write 3 things in their journal per entry, some studies have found that even writing 10 items per entry yields positive results for the author. However, researchers suggest that writing too many items per entry (above 10) will actually not yield the typical psychological benefits of a gratitude journal. With a higher number of items to record, the task of writing in a gratitude journal can become too tedious for individuals to comply with. Psychologist Robert Emmons believes humans adapt to positive changes quickly, and too many and too frequent gratitude journal entries, will not have the same beneficial effects as shorter, less frequent entries. Including more than 10 items may even take away the salience of recognizing what there is to be grateful for in daily life.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links