Seasonal Well-Being: How Gratitude Influences Mental Health, Resilience, and Social Connection

By Grace Allbritton, Estefanía Cavazos Reyes, and Bella Nieto

Lab: Strengths and Well-being Innovation Research Lab (SW-IRL) Blog

As the holiday season nears, many students feel overwhelming stress across multiple facets of their lives, making it imperative to pause and reflect emotionally. The Strengths and Wellbeing Innovation Research Lab's cornerstone is to encourage well-being through evidence-based research and education. Research from researchers mentions the connection between mental and physical well-being and gratitude (Portocarrero et al., 2020). Now that the holiday season is a time of reflection and admiration, gratitude is a concept worth investigating in greater depth. 

The holidays offer a significant moment to reflect on the purpose of gratitude as both a cultural and interpersonal practice and as an evidence-based practice for strengthening well-being. This blog post will emphasize current research on gratitude, highlighting its role in promoting resilience, enhancing mental health, and fostering relationships during a season focused on appreciation and health.

Why It Matters

Gratitude is a vital practice for counselors, students, and community members because it is a low-cost, straightforward approach that has been shown to improve emotional well-being. Current research also indicates that gratitude increases resilience, reduces stress, and enhances life satisfaction. These examples show how gratitude is a critical tool in counseling and in real life.

What the research says:

An extensive sample study of sixty-four randomized controlled trials found that writing in a gratitude journal, letters, or doing other practices can improve mental health and life satisfaction while depleting anxiety and depression. Additionally, gratitude fosters a stronger counselor-client relationship, offers ways to reduce negative thinking, and can help reduce counselors' risk of burnout.

Research/insight summary

Diniz and colleagues conducted a study in 2023 where they evaluated sixty-four randomized controlled trials on gratitude interventions. The research found that higher gratitude was associated with increased mental health, higher life satisfaction, and improved counselor-client relationships. 

• Why it matters: The article provides evidence that gratitude interventions are simple, low-cost, and successful in improving mood and resilience.

Also, Emmons and Stern (2013) in their research investigated gratitude as a psychotherapeutic tool. The research found that greater gratitude was associated with improved coping, increased resilience, rapid recovery from stress, and strengthened counselor-client relationships.

• Why it matters: The article provides evidence that gratitude encourages healing and helps move attention to positive experiences.

Practical Implications:

• Clients can use a daily gratitude checklist or journaling to reduce negative thinking (rumination) and improve mood. 

• Counselors can incorporate concise gratitude interventions to build connection and help fight against burnout.

• Communities can help by encouraging gratitude activities to build bonds and facilitate well-being.

Practical Application & Reflection

So you may ask, what is it now that you can do? Here are some research-backed recommendations:

• Keep a gratitude journal, highlighting impactful moments or connections throughout the week.

• Create a gratitude jar and write on a new paper slip every day detailing what you are appreciative of.

• Implement a thirty-second gratitude breathing exercise: breathe in slowly,  think of one aspect of your life that is good, and exhale after saying it out loud.

• Keep a gratitude scrapbook and put a picture of something you are grateful for every day.

• Start discussions with friends, family, or significant others by asking the question, “What is one thing you are grateful for today?”

Reflection questions:

• “Who is someone you are grateful for today?”

• “How did acknowledging gratitude change your mood, interactions, and viewpoint?”

• “What gratitude practice feels the most practical for you to implement this week?”

For Counselors

Gratitude can also benefit counselors, as implementing these practices can help reduce burnout risk, increase empathy, and foster a healthy, optimistic mindset during challenging times. It is believed that when both the client and the counselors actively work on gratitude, it creates a pragmatic therapeutic space and strengthens rapport in the therapeutic relationship. Because gratitude techniques are inexpensive and easy to implement in everyday life, they are invaluable tools that promote emotional well-being in both therapeutic and everyday settings. 

Summary

This blog highlights the Strengths and Wellbeing Innovation Research Lab’s (SWIRL) focus on promoting wellbeing through evidence-based practices. Research demonstrates that gratitude supports psychological flourishing by improving mood, life satisfaction, and resilience. Studies by Diniz et al. (2023) and Emmons and Stern (2013) show that gratitude practices, such as journaling, writing letters, and intentional reflection, reduce anxiety and depression while fostering healthier thinking patterns and emotional regulation. 

In clinical settings, gratitude benefits both clients and counselors by strengthening coping skills, reducing burnout, and enhancing the therapeutic relationship. Practical strategies to cultivate gratitude include daily journaling, writing gratitude letters, savoring positive experiences, and sharing gratitude with others.

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References

This blog is based on the following two studies: Diniz et al. (2023) and Emmons & Stern (2013).

Diniz, G., Korkes, L., Tristão, L. S., Pelegrini, R., Bellodi, P. L., & Bernardo, W. M. (2023). The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (São Paulo), 21, eRW0371. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2023rw0371 

Emmons, R.A. and Stern, R. (2013), Gratitude as a Psychotherapeutic Intervention. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69: 846-855. https://doi-org.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/10.1002/jclp.22020  

Portocarrero, F. F., Gonzalez, K., & Ekema-Agbaw, M. (2022). Erratum to “A meta-analytic review of the relationship between dispositional gratitude and well-being” [Personality and Individual Differences. 64 (2020) 110101]. Personality and Individual Differences, 187, Article 111380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111380