Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-15-2018
Publication Source
The Journal of Positive Psychology
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
ISSN
1743-9779
Abstract
Gratitude is the appreciation of a gift received; happiness is the enjoyment of a present good; and hope is the desire for a valued future. Two studies investigated gratitude as a predictor of hope and happiness. In Study 1, hierarchical regressions (N = 181) revealed that trait gratitude exceeded other constructs (forgivingness, patience, self-control) in predicting trait hope and happiness. In Study 2, we experimentally tested the impact of a gratitude-related writing intervention on state hope and happiness. Participants (N = 153) first wrote about a current, meaningful, hoped-for outcome and completed state hope and happiness measures. Participants were randomly assigned to either (a) gratefully remember a past hope that had been fulfilled or (b) a control condition. The grateful remembering condition (vs. control) prompted significant increases in state hope and happiness, commending grateful remembering as a practice that can bolster present happiness and hope for the future.
Keywords
gratitude, hope, happiness
Recommended Citation
Repository citation: vanOyen-Witvliet, Charlotte; Richie, Fallon J.; Root Luna, Lindsey M.; and Van Tongeren, Daryl R., "Gratitude Predicts Hope and Happiness: A Two-study Assessment of Traits and States" (2018). Faculty Publications. Paper 1464.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/faculty_publications/1464
Published in: The Journal of Positive Psychology, January 15, 2018. Copyright © 2018 Taylor & Francis.
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Positive Psychology on January 15, 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17439760.2018.1424924.