Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Graham, Steven

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Research suggests that an individual’s well-being may not only be influenced by external circumstances, but also by direction of attention and interpretation of their experiences. Gratitude journaling has been examined as a simple intervention, which may be a tool to improve emotional well-being, as it shifts attention toward the positive aspects of life. In the present study, gratitude journaling was examined whether it contributes to a greater mood improvement, compared to neutral journaling among students. Additionally, whether these effects are reflected in changes in positive affect, negative affect, and perceived stress. Participants (N = 58) were measured for levels of positive affect, negative affect, and perceived stress at pre-test, which was followed by a brief journaling task in either the gratitude or neutral condition, and then measured the outcome variables at post-test. The results from mixed-design ANOVAs did not show significant changes in positive affect or stress across time or between conditions. However, there was a significant main effect of time found for negative affect, which indicates a decrease from pre-test to post-test across participants. The interaction between time and condition approached significance and suggests a pattern in which participants in the gratitude journaling condition had a greater reduction in negative affect compared to neutral journaling. However, moderation by extraversion could not be tested due to a lack of significant interaction effects. The study’s findings suggest that a brief journaling intervention may first function to reduce negative emotional states in the short-term, instead of immediately increasing levels of positive affect or decreasing stress. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of gratitude interventions, future research should further explore individual differences and long-term effects.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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