Leaving Past Adversities Behind: Gratitude Intervention Compensates for the Undesirable Effects of Past Time Perspectives on Negative Affect

Abstract

Both gratitude and savoring the moment are considered to be well-established “well-being boosters” (WBBs). Each of them has a salient temporal reference: Gratitude is past-related, whereas savoring the moment refers to the present. The temporal match–mismatch model posits that time perspectives (TPs) moderate the effects of WBBs on well-being if they refer to the same temporal frame (e.g., gratitude and Past-Positive). Our study tested whether TPs moderate the effects of two positive interventions on positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). The participants (N = 174 individuals, 73% women) completed measures of TPs, PA, and NA, followed by a brief intervention of gratitude (N = 86) or savoring (N = 88). Subsequently, they completed the PA/NA measures again. Both interventions significantly decreased NA but did not foster PA. The magnitude of the shift in NA in the gratitude condition depended on the levels of past TPs: Individuals high in Past-Negative and low in Past-Positive displayed greater baseline NA than their counterparts; however, the difference was leveled after the gratitude intervention. No interaction effects between the present TPs and the savoring intervention were observed. The results suggest that practicing gratitude may diminish the undesirable consequences of negative views of the past.

Relationship between Grateful Disposition and Subjective Happiness of Korean Young Adults: Focused on Double Mediating Effect of Social Support and Positive Interpretation

“…In the model analyzed in this study, grateful disposition had a considerable influence on positive interpretation, except for the influence of social support. This result supports the view that thinking positively is related to practicing gratitude, without support from others and when undesirable things happen [ 16 ]. This viewpoint is also supported by the finding that the path from gratitude disposition to subjective happiness in young adults through positive interpretation was significant in the mediating model.…”

“…Burzynska-Tatjewska and Stolarski found that changing people’s perspectives on undesirable past events, which trigger negative emotions, by practicing gratitude can make them happier and improve their well-being [ 16 ]. In other words, people can be happier if they positively modify their interpretation of past experiences.…”