Seligman et al. Seligman, M.; Steen, T.A.; Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions,” American Psychologist, 60:410-421. examined the effects of a similar intervention over a longer period of time. Participants were instructed to write down “three good things” that happened at the end of each day, in addition to a causal explanation for each good thing. After completing this activity every day for a week, participants began to report more happiness and less depression after one month, an effect that remained at three- and six-month follow-ups. The beneficial effects of the “three good things” exercise lasted longer than effects of other week-long interventions (writing about yourself at your best, identifying signature strengths, and delivering a letter of gratitude) and results suggest that gratitude journals may have a greater long-term impact than other happiness interventions. However, the long-term benefits of weekly versus daily gratitude journaling remains unclear. Examples 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. Seligman, M.; Steen, T.A.; Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions,” American Psychologist, 60:410-421. 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.Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Personality & Social Psychology, 88, 377-389. Having deeper, more personal things to be grateful for yields greater happiness and increased gratitude.The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from URL Controversies Researchers disagree as to whether it is more beneficial to keep a weekly or daily gratitude journal. Some studies suggest that daily gratitude journals produce larger increases in overall gratitude levels than weekly journals. Emmons, R. A., McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Personality%DIFDELCMD < & %%% Social Psychology, 88, 377-389. However, other researchers believe that weekly journaling is best, because people can adapt to the effects of daily journaling too quickly and lose the most beneficial effects of gratitude journals. One study found that people who kept weekly journals had benefits greater than those who kept daily journals, while another study found that weekly gratitude journals resulted in higher levels of happiness than thrice-weekly gratitude journaling. The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from URL S., Sheldon, K. M., Schkade, D. (2005) Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131. While certain effects may differ slightly for weekly and daily gratitude journals, both have proven to be beneficial for psychological well-being. Additionally, most studies investigating gratitude journals have found that including 3-10 items in each gratitude journal entry yields the most beneficial results. While the majority of research has participants only write 3 things in their journal per entry, some studies have found that even writing 10 items per entry yields positive results for the author. However, researchers suggest that writing too many items per entry (above 10) will actually not yield the typical psychological benefits of a gratitude journal. With a higher number of items to record, the task of writing in a gratitude journal can become too tedious for individuals to comply with. Psychologist Robert A. Emmons believes that humans adapt to positive changes quickly, and that too many and too frequent gratitude journal entries will not have the same beneficial effects as shorter, less frequent entries. The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from URL Including more than 10 items may even take away the salience of recognizing what there is to be grateful for in daily life. External links The Greater Good Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal  Daily gratitude journal app for iOS and Android An app to send note of thanks and keep a gratitude journal
Seligman et al. examined the effects of a similar intervention over a longer period of time. Participants were instructed to write down “three good things” that happened at the end of each day, in addition to a causal explanation for each good thing. After completing this activity every day for a week, participants began to report more happiness and less depression after one month, an effect that remained at three- and six-month follow-ups. The beneficial effects of the “three good things” exercise lasted longer than effects of other week-long interventions (writing about yourself at your best, identifying signature strengths, and delivering a letter of gratitude) and results suggest that gratitude journals may have a greater long-term impact than other happiness interventions. However, the long-term benefits of weekly versus daily gratitude journaling remains unclear. Examples 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.Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Personality & Social Psychology, 88, 377-389. Having deeper, more personal things to be grateful for yields greater happiness and increased gratitude.The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from URL Controversies Researchers disagree as to whether it is more beneficial to keep a weekly or daily gratitude journal. Some studies suggest that daily gratitude journals produce larger increases in overall gratitude levels than weekly journals. %DIFDELCMD < & %%% However, other researchers believe that weekly journaling is best, because people can adapt to the effects of daily journaling too quickly and lose the most beneficial effects of gratitude journals. One study found that people who kept weekly journals had benefits greater than those who kept daily journals, while another study found that weekly gratitude journals resulted in higher levels of happiness than thrice-weekly gratitude journaling. While certain effects may differ slightly for weekly and daily gratitude journals, both have proven to be beneficial for psychological well-being. Additionally, most studies investigating gratitude journals have found that including 3-10 items in each gratitude journal entry yields the most beneficial results. While the majority of research has participants only write 3 things in their journal per entry, some studies have found that even writing 10 items per entry yields positive results for the author. However, researchers suggest that writing too many items per entry (above 10) will actually not yield the typical psychological benefits of a gratitude journal. With a higher number of items to record, the task of writing in a gratitude journal can become too tedious for individuals to comply with. Psychologist Robert A. Emmons believes that humans adapt to positive changes quickly, and that too many and too frequent gratitude journal entries will not have the same beneficial effects as shorter, less frequent entries. Including more than 10 items may even take away the salience of recognizing what there is to be grateful for in daily life. External links The Greater Good Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal Keeping a Gratitude Journal - A Simple Guide by Fitstream Daily gratitude journal app for iOS and Android An app to send note of thanks and keep a gratitude journal
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Seligman, M.; Steen, T.A.; Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions,” American Psychologist, 60:410-421.
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Seligman, M.; Steen, T.A.; Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions,” American Psychologist, 60:410-421.
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Emmons, R. A.,
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McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Personality
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Social Psychology, 88, 377-389.
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The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from URL S., Sheldon, K. M.,
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Schkade, D. (2005) Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131.
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The Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley. (2011, November 17). Tips for keeping a gratitude journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from URL
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Keeping a Gratitude Journal - A Simple Guide by Fitstream