Emmons & McCullough, 2003, Study 3: Expressing gratitude through writing increased life satisfaction among adults with neuromusclar disease over 3 weeks
Reference:
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of personality and social psychology, 84(2), 377.
Download PDFSummary:
Asking adults with neuromuscular disease to write briefly each day for 3 weeks about things they were grateful for increased positive affect, reduced negative affect, increased life satisfaction and felt connection with others, and improved sleep hours and quality as compared to a control condition over this period. There was no effect on experiences of physical pain, exercise frequency, or physical symptoms.
Psychological Process:
What Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
Selves (My Own and Others')Approach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Changing beliefs about emotions, states, and the valence of the self-conceptHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Do I think and feel positively about myself?Do I think and feel positively about myself?Psychological Question Addressed
Do I think and feel positively about myself?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Health; Well-being
Intervention Technique:
Active reflection, on a positive aspect of self