A Pile of Journals and a Softer Heart
Gratitude has become one of those words we hear often, yet its power is usually underestimated. It sounds soft. It sounds simple. It sounds like something people do in cute journals with gold foil covers. And yet, the research behind gratitude is remarkably sturdy. It holds up across disciplines, age groups, and even cultures. It is one of those rare habits that feels good and is supported by actual data.
I started keeping a gratitude journal in 2021. What began as a small personal experiment turned into five full notebooks. Five books filled with evidence that even on the most chaotic days there was something worth naming and appreciating. Here is proof of the extent of my gratitude.
What fascinates me is how consistent the research has been over time. The early studies are still some of the strongest. Robert Emmons at the University of California Davis and Michael McCullough at the University of Miami found in a landmark randomized trial that people who wrote down things they were grateful for each week felt more optimistic, exercised more, and reported fewer physical symptoms (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). This was not “think happy thoughts” wishful thinking. It was measured improvement in overall wellbeing.
More recently, larger analyses have confirmed and expanded on these findings. A 2021 meta analysis showed that gratitude practices reliably improved wellbeing, especially when the writing included a few moments of thoughtful reflection (Cregg & Cheavens, 2021). And a 2023 systematic review found that gratitude interventions were linked to better mental health, higher life satisfaction, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression across a wide range of populations (Diniz et al., 2023). The field did not peak twenty years ago. It continues to grow and strengthen.
Some of my favorite research looks at the relational side of gratitude. Martin Seligman and colleagues showed that writing and delivering a gratitude letter produced a significant boost in happiness that lasted up to a month (Seligman et al., 2005). There is something profoundly moving about the idea that one thoughtful act can echo emotionally for weeks.
The brain imaging research adds another layer. A study by Kini and colleagues found that consistent gratitude writing increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, an area involved in emotional regulation and decision making (Kini et al., 2016). In other words, gratitude was not just changing how people felt. It was altering neural patterns that support healthier emotional functioning.
Then there is the work from Joel Wong and Joshua Brown at Indiana University. Their randomized controlled trial found that people who wrote gratitude letters once a week for three weeks showed significant mental health improvements that continued for twelve weeks after the writing stopped (Wong et al., 2016). The lingering effect is one of the reasons I love this practice. Gratitude has a way of staying with you.
All of this research points to something beautifully straightforward. Gratitude improves mood. It strengthens resilience. It supports healthier relationships. It creates a small but meaningful buffer between you and stress. It trains your attention toward what is working rather than what is missing.
My own journals reflect exactly that. They are messy. They are repetitive. They are sometimes filled with the smallest things, like how cozy my blanket feels or the simple luxury of clean, cold water, especially when I am exercising. And yet these tiny moments accumulate. They soften the edges of difficult days. They create a record of my life that becomes more generous and more grounded each time I return to it.
Gratitude is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about noticing what is true. It is about reminding yourself that even during painful or uncertain chapters there are pockets of steadiness. My five journals are proof that the practice works. The research is proof as well. And if you ever decide to begin, you might be surprised by how much there is to notice once you start looking.
References
Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2021). Gratitude interventions. Effective self help A meta analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(3), 403 to 415.
Diniz, G. A., et al. (2023). The effects of gratitude interventions. A systematic review and meta analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1151456.
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens. An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective wellbeing in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377 to 389.
Kini, P., Wong, J., McInnis, S., Gabana, N., & Brown, J. W. (2016). The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3), 168 to 172.
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress. Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410 to 421.
Wong, Y. J., Owen, J., Gabana, N. T., Brown, J. W., McInnis, S., Toth, P., & Gilman, L. (2016). The effect of a gratitude letter on wellbeing. A randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy Research, 28(2), 192 to 205.
