Thankful for the little things: A meta-analysis of gratitude interventions.

Abstract

A recent qualitative review by Wood, Froh, and Geraghty (2010) cast doubt on the efficacy of gratitude interventions, suggesting the need to carefully attend to the quality of comparison groups. Accordingly, in a series of meta-analyses, we evaluate the efficacy of gratitude interventions (ks = 4-18; Ns = 395-1,755) relative to a measurement-only control or an alternative-activity condition across 3 outcomes (i.e., gratitude, anxiety, psychological well-being). Gratitude interventions outperformed a measurement-only control on measures of psychological well-being (d = .31, 95% confidence interval [CI = .04, .58]; k = 5) but not gratitude (d = .20; 95% CI [-.04, .44]; k = 4). Gratitude interventions outperformed an alternative-activity condition on measures of gratitude (d = .46, 95% CI [.27, .64]; k = 15) and psychological well-being (d = .17, 95% CI [.09, .24]; k = 20) but not anxiety (d = .11, 95% CI [-.08, .31]; k = 5). More-detailed subdivision was possible on studies with outcomes assessing psychological well-being. Among these, gratitude interventions outperformed an activity-matched comparison (d = .14; 95% CI [.01, .27]; k = 18). Gratitude interventions performed as well as, but not better than, a psychologically active comparison (d = -.03, 95% CI [-.13, .07]; k = 9). On the basis of these findings, we summarize the current state of the literature and make suggestions for future applied research on gratitude. (PsycINFO Database Record

Gratitude, Psychopathology and Subjective Well-Being: Results from a 7.5-Month Prospective General Population Study

“…In comparison, the only study on gratitude and mental health with a comparable multi-wave study design and data analysis, although not applying correction for demographic factors, reported SEM path coefficients between gratitude and post-traumatic growth in the range of .12 to .15 (Zhou and Wu 2015), considered small by convention (Hu and Bentler 1999). Moreover, a recent meta-analysis (Davis et al 2016) concluded the overall effect of gratitude interventions on well-being to range from moderate (Cohen's d = .31) to weak (Cohen's d = .14) in size, depending on control conditions, in line with a previous meta-analysis by Bolier et al (2013), showing on average small effects of positive psychology interventions on wellbeing (Cohen's d = .20). However, despite the relatively small size of gratitude's effects on well-being reported in the literature, the grateful trait may have substantial relevance for an individual's subjective well-being, especially when considering the cumulative, upward spiral dynamic of positive emotion and personal and social resources (Fredrickson and Joiner 2002).…”

“…Gratitude interventions have been studied before and a recent meta-analysis by Davis et al (2016) suggests that gratitude interventions such as gratitude journaling, the gratitude letter, and gratitude lists do increase subjective well-being, albeit with small effects. In line with the current study findings, recent research (Kerr et al 2015) showed a gratitude intervention in a clinical sample to have no effect on general psychological functioning, but to have a positive impact on feelings of connectedness, satisfaction with daily life, and optimism.…”

The proximal experience of gratitude

“…Thus, in the past decade or so, researchers began to test whether experimentally prompting people to engage in gratitude exercises could lead to the positive outcomes enjoyed by those high in trait gratitude. Multiple experiments have demonstrated the benefits of expressing or recalling gratitude, including enhanced relationship quality [16–17], higher well-being ([2, 10, 18–22]; but see [23–25]; see [26] for a meta-analytic review]), and better physical health [2]. However, despite the growing evidence for the benefits of gratitude exercises (e.g., [5]), less is known about the process by which such exercises produce these positive outcomes.…”

An Online Gratitude Intervention for Young Adults with Advanced Cancer

“…Overall the baseline measurements indicated that the MyGratefulSelf sample was highly distressed which is in keeping with previous literature on the well-being of young grief, trauma), so that there may be more potential for change (Davis et al, 2016). The…”

“…However, a recent meta-analysis of gratitude interventions suggests that researchers should moderate their enthusiasm for the efficacy of gratitude until several holes in the literature can be filled (Davis et al, 2016). One such hole, the authors conclude, is the testing of gratitude in clinical populations that show very high levels of distress or have trouble regulating their emotions.…”