Gratitude Journal
Wikipedia
Self Care and Relaxation
A gratitude journal is a diary of things for which one is grateful. Gratitude journals are used by individuals who wish to focus their attention on the positive things in their lives.
Gratitude, the feeling of appreciation or thanks, has gained a lot of attention in the field of positive psychology. Some studies have found that those who are habitually grateful are happier than those who are not. Furthermore, studies suggest that feelings of gratitude may even possess mental and physical health benefits. positive psychology strives to develop methods by which one can consistently enhance gratitude levels. Furthermore, the maintenance of a gratitude journal can help relieve depressive symptoms.
One of the early research studies on Gratitude journals by Emmons & McCullough found that "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 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.
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. 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.
In light of the growing body of literature on the benefits of Gratitude journals, many researchers have also investigated how to maximize these benefits. One study investigating the efficacy of a number of happiness 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, 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. These results suggest that a once-weekly gratitude journal is most beneficial.
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 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. Having deeper, more personal things to be grateful for yields greater happiness and increased gratitude.
Gratitude, the feeling of appreciation or thanks, has gained a lot of attention in the field of positive psychology. Some studies have found that those who are habitually grateful are happier than those who are not. Furthermore, studies suggest that feelings of gratitude may even possess mental and physical health benefits. positive psychology strives to develop methods by which one can consistently enhance gratitude levels. Furthermore, the maintenance of a gratitude journal can help relieve depressive symptoms.
One of the early research studies on Gratitude journals by Emmons & McCullough found that "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 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.
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. 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.
In light of the growing body of literature on the benefits of Gratitude journals, many researchers have also investigated how to maximize these benefits. One study investigating the efficacy of a number of happiness 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, 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. These results suggest that a once-weekly gratitude journal is most beneficial.
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 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. Having deeper, more personal things to be grateful for yields greater happiness and increased gratitude.