Does gratitude journaling work? What the studies found

1 hour ago

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The short answer

Gratitude exercises, such as writing down things you are thankful for or writing a thank-you letter, give a small lift in well-being on average. A 2025 analysis covering about 25,000 people in 28 countries found a small effect, and gratitude exercises did no better than other pleasant exercises. Effects on depression and anxiety are also small. Claims that gratitude lowers blood pressure, calms inflammation or protects the heart rest on one or two small studies. It is a reasonable habit if you enjoy it, with modest expectations.

What the studies tested

The studies behind this post used a few simple exercises:

Listing up to five things you are grateful for, once a week. In an early, widely cited study, about 65 of 201 college students did this for about 10 weeks. The others listed hassles or ordinary events.
Writing down three things that went well each day, and why, every night for a week.
Writing a letter of thanks to someone who was especially kind to you and had never been properly thanked, then delivering it in person within a week.
Writing down three to five things you are grateful for each day for eight weeks, as tested in people with an early, symptom-free stage of heart failure.

Most of what these studies measured was self-reported: how happy, satisfied or low people said they felt.

How big the effect is

A 2025 analysis pooled 145 papers with 24,804 people in 28 countries. Gratitude exercises raised well-being by a small amount on average, compared with doing nothing or doing a neutral task. They were no more effective than other upbeat exercises, and doing more sessions did not clearly add benefit.

The comparison group changes the answer. A 2016 review sorted studies by what the comparison group did. Against people who only filled out questionnaires, gratitude exercises had a small effect. Against people who did a different activity, the effect was smaller. Against people who did another active psychological exercise, there was no difference.

How long the lift lasts

In a 2005 study of 577 adults who signed up through a website about happiness, writing and delivering a thank-you letter produced large positive changes that lasted about a month. By three months they were gone. One week of writing down three good things each night, and why they happened, was followed by higher happiness and fewer symptoms of depression for six months, compared with a placebo exercise. The benefit was clearest in people who kept doing it on their own. The results counted only the people who completed every follow-up, about 7 in 10 of those who started.

Depression and anxiety

A review of 27 studies with 3,675 people found that gratitude exercises reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety by a small amount. The effect was larger when the comparison group was simply waiting than when it did another activity. The authors concluded that people looking for relief from depression or anxiety should choose approaches with stronger evidence.

Sleep, blood pressure and the heart

A review that searched the research up to 2019 found only 19 randomized gratitude studies, in which people are assigned to groups by chance, that had measured anything physical. Self-rated sleep quality improved in 5 of the 8 that checked it, and self-reported physical symptoms improved in 2 of 8. Blood pressure, blood sugar and asthma had each been tested in a single study. A 2023 review found no difference on a standard sleep-quality questionnaire, although one insomnia scale favored gratitude.

The blood pressure study was a two-week trial in 119 young women, and the gratitude exercise was followed by lower diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number. The heart claim traces to a small early-stage (pilot) study of 70 people with an early, symptom-free stage of heart failure. Eight weeks of gratitude journaling was linked with a lower score on a combined measure of inflammation than usual care. Inflammation was analyzed in only 43 people. Resting heart rate variability, a measure of how the nervous system adjusts the heartbeat, did not differ from usual care. None of these studies measured heart attacks, hospital stays or survival.

You may also have read that grateful people exercise 1.5 hours more a week. That self-reported figure came from the first study of college students, and it was a comparison with the group that listed hassles. Gratitude did not differ from the group that listed ordinary events, and the next two studies in the same paper found no difference in exercise.

What you can do

If you would like to try it, pick one of the tested exercises: a weekly list of up to five things, three good things each night for a week, or a thank-you letter you deliver in person.
Expect a modest lift in how you feel. The evidence for effects on blood pressure, blood sugar or heart health is too thin to count on.
If it starts to feel like a chore, switch to something else you enjoy. Other positive exercises worked about as well in the trials.
If you have felt low or anxious for weeks, a gratitude list is not enough on its own. Approaches with stronger evidence exist, and your doctor can help you find them.
Consider the letter. In the 2005 study, thanking someone in person produced large positive changes for about a month, and it puts you back in touch with someone who mattered to you.

References

Emmons RA, McCullough ME. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;84(2):377-389. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377
Three small experiments in college students and in 65 adults with neuromuscular disease. Gratitude lists improved some well-being measures; differences in exercise and physical symptoms appeared in the first study only. Randomized trials.
Seligman MEP, et al. Am Psychol. 2005;60(5):410-421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410
In 577 adults recruited online, a delivered thank-you letter raised happiness for about a month, and one week of nightly three good things was followed by higher happiness and fewer depressive symptoms for six months, compared with a placebo exercise. Randomized trial.
Redwine LS, et al. Psychosom Med. 2016;78(6):667-676. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000316
In 70 patients with symptom-free (stage B) heart failure, eight weeks of gratitude journaling was linked with a lower inflammation score than usual care; resting heart rate variability did not differ. Pilot randomized trial, early evidence.
Choi H, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025;122(28):e2425193122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2425193122
Pooling 145 papers and 24,804 people in 28 countries, gratitude exercises produced a small increase in well-being and did not outperform other positive activities. Meta-analysis.
Davis DE, et al. J Couns Psychol. 2016;63(1):20-31. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000107
Gratitude exercises beat measurement-only and alternative-activity comparisons by small margins, performed no better than active psychological comparisons, and showed no clear effect on anxiety compared with an alternative activity. Meta-analysis.
Cregg DR, Cheavens JS. J Happiness Stud. 2021;22(1):413-445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00236-6
Across 27 studies and 3,675 people, gratitude exercises had a small effect on symptoms of depression and anxiety, larger against waitlist than active comparisons. Meta-analysis.
Boggiss AL, et al. J Psychosom Res. 2020;135:110165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110165
Of 19 randomized studies with physical outcomes, self-rated sleep improved in 5 of 8; blood pressure, blood sugar and asthma each rested on one study. Systematic review, mixed evidence.
Diniz G, et al. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2023;21:eRW0371. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RW0371
This review included 64 randomized trials. In pooled results from three trials each, gratitude exercises lowered anxiety and depression scores slightly, with low certainty, and showed no difference on a standard sleep-quality questionnaire. Meta-analysis.
Jackowska M, et al. J Health Psychol. 2016;21(10):2207-2217. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105315572455
In 119 young women, two weeks of a gratitude exercise was followed by better well-being and sleep quality and lower diastolic blood pressure. Randomized trial, early evidence.

One study explained in plain language every week, with sources attached: https://www.selfprinciple.org/newsletter

This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for individual care. The views expressed are Dr. Sean Hashmi's own and do not represent his employer.