Counting blessings beat listing hassles

People who regularly listed things they were grateful for felt more positive than people who listed hassles or neutral events.

The study

Across three studies, people were randomly assigned to keep weekly or daily records listing things they were grateful for, hassles, or neutral events, and to track their moods, health, and overall outlook. One study included people living with a neuromuscular disease. The gratitude groups showed higher well-being on several, though not all, measures. The most consistent finding was more positive mood.

Starting small

A gratitude list can be very short. Writing down one or two good things at the end of the day, even small ones, is the kind of practice these studies tested.