Does keeping a gratitude journal improve wellbeing?

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1. 1

   The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

   Einstein (São Paulo) (Diniz et al.)Published Jan 1, 2023Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Sixty-four randomized clinical trials were included. The meta-analysis demonstrated that patients who underwent gratitude interventions experienced greater feelings of gratitude, better mental health, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, they experienced other benefits such as a more positive mood and emotions. The results demonstrate that acts of gratitude can be used as a therapeutic complement for treating anxiety and depression and can increase positive feelings and emotions in the general population. Prospero database registration: (www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero) under the number CRD42021250799.”

2. 2

   Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

   BMC Public Health (Bolier et al.)Published Feb 7, 2013Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “The standardized mean difference was 0.34 for subjective well-being, 0.20 for psychological well-being and 0.23 for depression indicating small effects for positive psychology interventions. At follow-up from three to six months, effect sizes are small, but still significant for subjective well-being and psychological well-being, indicating that effects are fairly sustainable. Heterogeneity was rather high, due to the wide diversity of the studies included. Several variables moderated the impact on depression: Interventions were more effective if they were of longer duration, if recruitment was conducted via referral or hospital, if interventions were delivered to people with certain psychosocial problems and on an individual basis, and if the study design was of low quality. The results of this meta-analysis show that positive psychology interventions can be effective in the enhancement of subjective well-being and psychological well-being, as well as in helping to reduce depressive symptoms. Additional high-quality peer-reviewed studies in diverse (clinical) populations are needed to strengthen the evidence-base for positive psychology interventions.”

3. 3

   Mapping the evidence base of positive psychology interventions: effectiveness, limitations, and future directions.

   Frontiers in psychology (Akhter et al.)Published May 29, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Studies published between 2000 and 2025 were included. PRISMA 2020 guidelines informed the review protocol. Sixty-three primary studies and 11 meta-analyses met inclusion criteria.ResultsPPIs demonstrated consistently positive effects on subjective wellbeing (SWB), life satisfaction, and positive affect (mean d = 0.29-0.47), with moderate reductions in depressive symptoms. Gratitude-based, strength-based, and mindfulness-integrated interventions showed the strongest evidence bases. Technology-mediated PPIs demonstrated emerging efficacy, particularly in promoting engagement, emotional regulation, and intrinsic motivation.DiscussionThe evidence base for PPIs is substantive but uneven. Future research must address longitudinal effectiveness, cultural adaptation, personalized digital delivery, and integration with clinical practice.”

4. 4

   Personalized prediction of response to three meditation practices: A randomized controlled trial.

   Behaviour research and therapy (Simonsson et al.)Published Aug 10, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Despite decades of meditation research, there is a lack of preregistered and well-powered studies that investigate the effects of brief meditation practices on subjective wellbeing and use data-driven approaches to predict response to these interventions. Using representative samples of the US and UK adult populations with regards to age, sex, and ethnicity (N = 5049), we conducted a preregistered and well-powered randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of three brief (5-10 min) meditation practices (i.e., mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude) relative to a control condition. We also examined whether a data-driven approach can predict an individual's response to these interventions from their pre-intervention characteristics. Taken together, our findings suggest that brief meditation practices modestly improve an aspect of subjective wellbeing (negative affect) and such response can be predicted using pre-intervention characteristics. Future prospective randomized trials should examine algorithm-guided intervention assignment to directly test the potential of personalized meditation recommendations to improve subjective wellbeing.”

5. 5

   ‘The Three Good Things’ – The effects of gratitude practice on wellbeing: A randomised controlled trial

   Health Psychology Update (Lai & O’Carroll)Published Jan 1, 2017Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Completer analysis revealed that the gratitude condition resulted in heightened feelings of gratefulness. Those in the grateful condition showed greater increases in state gratitude and positive affect, relative to the control condition, who reported a reduction in wellbeing. Overall, the ITT analysis yielded essentially the same findings as the completer analysis. Discussion Counting one’s blessings can improve wellbeing and could be incorporated in existing psychotherapies. This brief and simple intervention warrants further investigation.”

6. 6

   Pilot Randomized Study of a Gratitude Journaling Intervention on Heart Rate Variability and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients With Stage B Heart Failure

   Psychosomatic Medicine (Redwine et al.)Published May 17, 2016Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “The gratitude intervention was associated with improved trait gratitude scores (F = 6.0, p = .017, η = 0.10), reduced inflammatory biomarker index score over time (F = 9.7, p = .004, η = 0.21), and increased parasympathetic HRV responses during the gratitude journaling task (F = 4.2, p = .036, η = 0.15), compared with treatment as usual. However, there were no resting preintervention to postintervention group differences in HRV (p values > .10). Gratitude journaling may improve biomarkers related to HF morbidity, such as reduced inflammation; large-scale studies with active control conditions are needed to confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.govidentifier:NCT01615094.”

7. 7

   Gratitude (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Sep 29, 2026Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness. This kindness can be gifts, help, favors, or another form of generosity to another person. The word comes from the Latin word gratus, which means "pleasing" or "thankful". The absence of gratitude where gratitude is expected is called ingratitude or ungratefulness. Gratitude has been a fundamental part of several world religions. It also has been a topic of interest to ancient, medieval, and modern philosophers. The discipline of psychology attempts to understand the short term experience of gratitude (state gratitude), individual differences in how frequently gratitude is felt (trait gratitude), the relationship between these two, and the therapeutic benefits of gratitude.”

8. 8

   The role of gratitude and optimism interventions in reducing suicide risk and enhancing wellbeing among university students.

   BMC psychology (Sánchez-Álvarez et al.)Published Mar 3, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Measures of gratitude (GR-5), optimism (LOT-R), life satisfaction (SWLS), depression (BDI-II), suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior were collected pre- and post-intervention. Mixed ANOVAs (Group × Time) assessed effects.ResultsSignificant Group × Time interactions emerged for gratitude, optimism, life satisfaction, and depression. Modest but significant effects were found for suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior. The intervention group showed substantial increases in gratitude, optimism, and life satisfaction, accompanied by notable reductions in depressive symptoms and self-harm indicators. Increases in gratitude and optimism in the intervention group were associated with increased life satisfaction and a decrease in depression, suicidal ideation and behaviour, significantly compared to the control group.ConclusionsShort-term gratitude + optimism training effectively enhances wellbeing and reduces suicide-risk correlates among university students. Findings support the integration of scalable positive-psychology interventions within campus mental-health programs.”

9. 9

   The Effect of Gratitude on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers as Measured by Burnout and Depression.

   Journal of lifestyle medicine (Fujimori et al.)Published Feb 1, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “The practice of gratitude has shown significant improvements in mental health in the general population, and it has been proposed as a potential intervention for healthcare workers. This scoping review aimed to assess the effect of gratitude on the mental health of healthcare workers as measured by burnout and depression. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online databases were searched using medical subject headings (e.g., gratitude journaling and burnout). Studies that were not published in a peer-reviewed journal, included non-healthcare workers, did not implement gratitude interventions, or had outcomes unrelated to burnout and/or depression were excluded. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. The practice of gratitude resulted in improvements in burnout and depression in the heterogeneous populations of healthcare workers. Practicing gratitude, alone or in combination with another practice, has been shown to potentially improve and/or prevent burnout and depression among healthcare workers.”