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Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life (2003)
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| Venue: | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |
| Citations: | 213 - 8 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Emmons03countingblessings,
author = {Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. Mccullough},
title = {Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life},
journal = {Journal of Personality and Social Psychology},
year = {2003},
pages = {377--389}
}
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Abstract
The effect of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions (hassles, gratitude listing, and either neutral life events or social comparison); they then kept weekly (Study 1) or daily (Study 2) records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. In a 3rd study, persons with neuromuscular disease were randomly assigned to either the gratitude condition or to a control condition. The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits. Reflect on your present blessings, on which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. —Charles Dickens (M. Dickens, 1897, p. 45) The construct of gratitude has inspired considerable interest in the general public. The prevalence of books targeted to general audiences on the topic (Breathnach, 1996; Hay, 1996; Miller,
Keyphrases
experimental investigation subjective well-being daily life blessing versus physical well-being grateful outlook comparison group health behavior present blessing gratitude-outlook group gratitude listing social comparison interpersonal benefit neuromuscular disease control condition charles dickens past misfortune neutral life event overall life appraisal robust finding general audience experimental condition considerable interest conscious focus general public physical symptom positive affect gratitude condition
