The impact of single-session gratitude interventions on stress and affect

Gratitude interventions have been shown to reduce stress, but minimal research has examined domain- and stressor-specific gratitude interventions. This study assessed the impact of those gratitude interventions on stress and affect. Participants (N = 239) from the U.S. general population were randomized into one of three groups: domain-specific gratitude (gratitude list in seven domains), stressor-specific gratitude (gratitude list about a stressor in seven domains), or control (task completion list for seven days). The domain-specific gratitude group decreased in stress and negative affect and increased in positive affect from pre- to post-intervention and had lower stress and negative affect than the stressor-specific gratitude group post-intervention. The stressor-specific gratitude group increased in stressor-specific gratitude from pre- to post-intervention. The control group decreased in stress from pre- to post-intervention. Our findings suggest that a domain-specific gratitude intervention is beneficial for psychological health, and a stressor-specific gratitude intervention is beneficial for reframing stressors.