Are Grateful People Less Anxious?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

The collective findings from these studies suggest that grateful people tend to be less anxious. Gratitude interventions, whether through diaries, apps, or brief inductions, have been shown to reduce anxiety by decreasing repetitive negative thinking, perceived stress, and self-criticism. Additionally, daily gratitude practices and perceiving gratitude from others can further alleviate anxiety, including specific types such as attachment and death anxiety. Overall, gratitude appears to be a beneficial practice for reducing various forms of anxiety.

The relationship between gratitude and anxiety has been a subject of interest in psychological research. Various studies have explored whether practicing gratitude can lead to reduced anxiety levels, often through interventions or observational studies. This synthesis aims to present the key findings from multiple research papers on whether grateful people are less anxious.

Key Insights

• Gratitude Interventions and Anxiety Reduction:
  • Gratitude interventions have been shown to have a small but significant effect on reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression at both post-test and follow-up periods1.
  • In a study with healthcare practitioners, those who engaged in gratitude diaries reported lower levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms compared to control groups2.
  • An internet and app-based gratitude intervention significantly reduced repetitive negative thinking, which in turn reduced anxiety and depression3.
• Mechanisms of Gratitude’s Impact on Anxiety:
  • Gratitude reduces anxiety by decreasing repetitive negative thinking, a known risk factor for anxiety3.
  • Gratitude is associated with less self-criticism and more self-reassurance, which mediates its impact on reducing anxiety symptoms5.
• Daily Gratitude and Stress:
  • Daily feelings of gratitude are linked to lower levels of perceived stress and better subjective health, which can contribute to reduced anxiety6 8.
  • Gratitude moderates the relationship between daily stress and negative affect, making stressful events less impactful on well-being8.
• Gratitude and Specific Types of Anxiety:
  • Perceiving gratitude from a romantic partner is linked to reduced attachment anxiety over time, suggesting that gratitude can alleviate specific forms of anxiety related to relationships7.
  • A brief gratitude induction was found to reduce death anxiety among older adults, indicating that gratitude can lessen anxiety related to existential concerns4.

Are grateful people less anxious?