Writing about gratitude increases emotion-regulation efficacy

Author(s)

Boggio, Paulo Sergio ; Alem Giglio, Ana Carolina ; Nakao, Caroline Kimie ; Helga Wingenbach, Tanja Stefanie ; Marques, Lucas Murrins ; Koller, Silvia ; Gruber, June

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY; v. 15, n. 6, p. 12-pg., 2019-08-09.

Abstract

Gratitude has gained attention in the domain of positive emotion research given its important prosocial role in connecting us to others and fostering well-being. It remains less clear which mechanisms gratitude acts to promote benefits in people's life. We considered emotional regulation as one of these main processes. Ninety participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: write and share gratitude stories, write gratitude stories, and write and share non-emotional routine situations. Participants were asked to write twice per week during four consecutive weeks after which they returned to the laboratory to perform an emotion reappraisal task. The groups that wrote about gratitude were more effective in applying emotion reappraisal than the control group, i.e. both demonstrated better down-regulation of negative images than the control group. The results of the current study demonstrate a positive effect of focusing on personal past experiences of gratitude on present emotion regulation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/19167-0 - Effect of sharing previous experiences in the allocation of resources in the ultimatum game
• Grantee: Caroline Kimie Nakao
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 17/06136-2 - In search of moral fellings: from the development of basic emotions to the role of complex moral emotions on the judgement process
• Grantee: Lucas Murrins Marques
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 17/00738-0 - Research Centre on Welfare and Human Behavior
• Grantee: Tanja Stefanie Helga Wingenbach
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral