Boehm et al., 2011: Conveying gratitude or expressing optimism increased life satisfaction among Anglo American adults over one month
Reference:
Boehm, J. K., Lyubomirsky, S., & Sheldon, K. M. (2011). A longitudinal experimental study comparing the effectiveness of happiness-enhancing strategies in Anglo Americans and Asian Americans. Cognition & Emotion, 25(7), 1263-1272.
Download PDFSummary:
Asking Anglo American adults to convey gratitude (write letters of appreciation to friends or family members) once a week for 10 minutes reported increased life satisfaction relative to a control condition (list what they had done in the past week) over this period and one month later. Asian American adults showed no such benefits. Similar benefits arose from asking participants to express optimism (“write about their best possible life in the future”).
Psychological Process:
Need
Need to BelongWhat Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To Feel Connected, Included, Respected, and Valued by OthersHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Am I connected to others?Am I connected to others?Bolstering beliefs about social connectednessPsychological Question Addressed
Am I connected to others?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Heading
Am I connected to others?Social Area:
Well-Being
Intervention Technique:
Active reflection, on a positive aspect of self