Emmons & McCullough, 2003, Study 1: Expressing gratitude through writing increased well-being and decreased illness among health psychology students over 10 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 college students enrolled in a health psychology class to write briefly each week for 10 weeks about things they were grateful for over the past week increased well-being, reduced physical symptoms of illness, and increased exercise hours as compared to two control conditions over this period.
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