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A gratitude journal is a diary of things for which one is grateful. Gratitude journals are used by individuals who wish to focus their attention on the positive things in their lives. Gratitude, the feeling of appreciation or thanks, has gained a lot of attention in the field of positive psychology. Studies have found that those who are habitually grateful are significantly happier than those who are not . Furthermore, studies suggest that feelings of gratitude may even possess health benefits . Positive psychology strives to develop methods by which one can consistently enhance gratitude levels. The most popular method thus far is the maintenance of a gratitude journal . Furthermore, the maintenance of a gratitude journal can help relieve depressive symptoms . ==Major empirical findings== One of the early research studies on gratitude journals by Emmons & McCullough found that "counting one's blessings" in a journal led to improved psychological and physical functioning. Participants who recorded weekly journals, each consisting of five things they were grateful for, were more optimistic towards the upcoming week and life as a whole, spent more time exercising, and had fewer symptoms of physical illness. Participants who kept daily gratitude journals reported increased overall gratitude, positive affect, enthusiasm, determination, and alertness. They were also more likely to help others and make progress towards their personal goals, compared to those who did not keep gratitude journals. For a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, writing daily gratitude journals for 3 weeks lead to increased optimism about one’s life, longer and more refreshing sleep, greater positive emotions, and feeling more connected to others. Overall, participants who kept weekly or daily gratitude journals had greater psychological and physical benefits when compared to participants who did not keep gratitude journals.〔Emmons Lab. (2014, January 27). Gratitude and well-being. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/Labs/emmons/PWT/index.cfm?Section=4〕〔Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Personality & Social Psychology, 88, 377-389.〕 Furthermore, the positive effects of gratitude can begin as early as childhood. A study conducted by Froh, Sefick and Emmons in 2008〔Froh, Jeffrey J., William J. Sefick, and Robert A. Emmons. "Counting Blessings in Early Adolescents: An Experimental Study of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being." Journal of School Psychology 46.2 (2008): 213-33.〕 examined the effects of a grateful outlook on the subjective well being of 221 early adolescents in sixth and seventh grade. The children were asked to “count their blessings” and set aside time daily to list what they were thankful for. Results found that counting one’s blessings was associated with enhanced self-reported feelings of gratitude, optimism, life satisfaction, and decreased negative affect. Furthermore, exhibiting gratitude correlated to long-term satisfaction with school experience. Another benefit may be that gratitude journals are a relatively easy and enjoyable way to boost happiness: Parks et al.〔Parks , A, C, Della Porta, M. D., Pierce, R. S., Zilca, R., Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Pursuing happiness in everyday life: The characteristics and behaviors of online happiness seekers. Emotion, 12(6). 1222-1234.〕 found that when presented with eight different happiness interventions, gratitude journals were the third most popular (preceded by “Goal evaluation and tracking” and “Savoring the moment.” Similarly, Seligman et al.〔Seligman, M.; Steen, T.A.; Park, N. and Peterson, C. (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions,” American Psychologist, 60:410-421.〕 found that participants were more likely to continue their “three good things” exercise on their own after the one-week intervention than the other exercises, and this lack of attrition mediated the link between the exercise and its benefits. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gratitude journal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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