Do gratitude journals work? What the research says
5 min read
Mostly yes, but less than the headlines say. Writing down a few good things each day or week leads to small, lasting gains in mood and life satisfaction, especially for people who keep it up. It is not a treatment for depression or anxiety.
What the evidence shows
- Small, real effects. Reviews of dozens of studies find gratitude exercises lift well-being a little, more than doing nothing.
- Keeping going matters most. In the 3 good things study, people who carried on after the first week did best.
- Fresh beats frequent. Writing so often that it becomes a chore can cancel the benefit.
- Not a treatment. The effect on depression and anxiety is small.
Try it by email, free
One email each evening. Reply with your 3 good things and we keep them in a private journal.
The main studies
Emmons & McCullough, 2003
Who: Students, and adults with neuromuscular disease. What they did: Listed things they were grateful for, weekly for 10 weeks or daily for 2 to 3 weeks, against groups listing hassles or neutral events.
What they found: More positive mood and optimism. The adults with a chronic illness also slept longer and better.
Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson, 2005
Who: Several hundred adults online. What they did: Wrote 3 things that went well each day, and why, for one week.
What they found: More happiness and fewer symptoms of depression at 1, 3 and 6 months, mostly in people who kept going.
Lyubomirsky, Sheldon & Schkade, 2005
Who: Students. What they did: Wrote 5 things they were grateful for, once a week or 3 times a week, for 6 weeks.
What they found: Only the once-a-week group got happier. More often seemed to turn it into a chore.
Davis and colleagues, 2016 (review of 26 studies)
Who: Mostly healthy adults. What they did: Gratitude exercises against doing nothing, or against another activity.
What they found: Small gains in well-being. Against another activity, the gains were smaller still.
Cregg & Cheavens, 2020 (review of 27 studies)
Who: 3,675 people. What they did: Gratitude exercises, mostly 3 good things and gratitude letters.
What they found: Only a small effect on depression and anxiety. Not a treatment.
Why it might work
Our minds hold on to what went wrong more easily than what went right. Writing down good things, and why they happened, trains attention the other way. Writing why also shows you your own part in good days, and the people who helped.
Part of the effect may simply come from doing something kind for yourself each day. That's one reason the gains against other pleasant activities are smaller than against doing nothing.
What this means for your journal
- Write a few specific good things, not a long list.
- Add why each one happened.
- Pick a fixed moment, like the evening, so it becomes a habit.
- If it starts to feel like a chore, write less often rather than stop.
That's what the 3 good things exercise asks, and what our daily email does: one question each evening, and your reply goes into a private journal.
Questions
Do gratitude journals really work?
For most people, a little, and for some, a lot. Studies find small but real gains in mood and life satisfaction. The gains are bigger for people who keep going after the first week.
How often should I write?
Daily works in most studies of the 3 good things exercise. One study found once a week worked better than 3 times a week for a longer list, so if daily feels like a chore, write less often.
How long before I notice a difference?
In the best-known study, the gap with the comparison group grew over the months after one week of writing. Give it at least a few weeks.
Can a gratitude journal help with depression?
It isn't a treatment. Reviews find only a small effect on depression and anxiety. If you're struggling, talk to a doctor or therapist first; a journal can sit beside that.
Sources: Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389. · Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410–421. · Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111–131. · Davis, D. E., et al. (2016). Thankful for the little things: A meta-analysis of gratitude interventions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(1), 20–31. · Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2020). Gratitude interventions: Effective self-help? Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 413–445.