Gratitude diaries …and why you should keep one

Most approaches to psychotherapy now encourage clients to become more compassionate, nonjudgmental and forgiving – to others and to themselves, and to focus on the positive aspects of their lives. One popular technique to help develop these skills is to keep a gratitude journal – a written diary of those things for which the individual feels grateful, be they people, events or experiences.

Robert Emmons at the University of California Davis has conducted a number of studies demonstrating the benefits of keeping one. In one, he and Michael Mccullough randomly assigned participants to one of two groups.

Group one was asked to write a few sentences about what they felt grateful for during the past seven days, whereas group two was asked to record what irritated them during the same period.

Everyone was also asked to keep a record of coping behaviours, physical symptoms and levels of mood and wellbeing. At the end of 10 weeks, those who’d kept a gratitude journal felt significantly more optimistic. They also recorded higher levels of wellbeing and fewer distressing physical symptoms.

Stephen Yoshimura and Kassandra Berzins at the University of Montana recently reviewed the relevant research, and found expressing gratitude is consistently correlated with numerous aspects of good psychological and physical health.

This is excellent news for anyone who decides to keep a gratitude journal. There are, however, other ways of expressing gratitude, one of which confers particularly positive benefits and can help others feel better, too.

Martin Seligman and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania asked more than 400 participants to write a letter to someone who’d been particularly kind to them but whom they’d never thanked. They were then tasked with delivering it personally. Afterwards everyone felt happier, and when those who wrote the letters were followed up a month later, the benefits were still apparent.

Expressing gratitude directly not only cheers up two people rather than one, it may also make the recipient more productive. Adam Grant and Francesca Gino at the University of Pennsylvania assigned university fund workers to one of two groups. Group one was instructed to call alumni and ask for donations to the university. Those in group two did the same but were first thanked for their efforts by the director of annual giving. Those who’d been thanked reported higher levels of self-worth and made 50 per cent more calls.

With levels of loneliness rising and more individuals than ever feeling depressed and anxious, it seems a shame to keep feelings of gratitude to yourself.

Instead, once a month, write a letter of thanks to someone who’s shown you kindness, and deliver it to them in person. That way you’ll double the benefits of expressing gratitude.