Gratitude, a feeling or sense that one can experience in the most diverse situations in life. Everyone knows it, but it is difficult to describe and grasp. This is mainly due to the fact that the concept of gratitude can take on many different dimensions. Some people are grateful for material things like gifts, but others feel gratitude when people give them time and attention and do something good for them. In research, the concept of gratitude has been analyzed, albeit in moderation, especially in the field of positive psychology.
As early as 2003, a study by researchers Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough examined the method of a gratitude diary and its effects on people's well-being in their everyday lives. The two researchers divided their subjects into three different groups, asked them to complete diaries and observed them over a period of ten weeks. The first group (gratitude condition) was asked to keep a gratitude diary over a period of ten weeks. They were asked to write down every day what they felt gratitude for that day. Subjects in the second group (hassles condition) were asked to write down what had gone wrong, and the third group (neutral life events condition) consisted of people who were asked to record neutral life events in their diary. This was followed by psychological interviews with all subjects.
Surprisingly, the participants in group one, who had kept a gratitude diary, were clearly more optimistic than the other two groups. They were happier and more cheerful. A decrease in stress-related pain such as headaches, muscle pain or even dizziness was also observed. The test persons furthermore reported a better and longer sleep and visited a doctor less often. Compared to the other two groups, they also paid more attention to their fitness and did more sports!
As it turned out later, these results also showed that gratitude and maintaining social connections are closely related to each other. The participants reported a feeling of gratitude especially during and after social exchanges such as a gift for which they felt grateful. Social relationships thus seem to have a great influence here and should be examined more closely in the course of this and linked to gratitude.
The study by Emmons and McCullough clearly shows that gratitude can have a positive impact on everyday life. Subsequent studies deepened this idea and identified a link between gratitude and anxiety, phobias and even depression!
Citation
- Emmons, Robert A, McCullough, Michael E. (2003): Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003, Vol. 84, No. 2, 377–389. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377.