Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ
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HEALTH

The Claim

Writing a gratitude journal improves psychological well-being.

The Short Version

Available evidence supports a real but modest benefit. Meta-analyses and randomized studies generally find that gratitude journaling or similar gratitude-writing exercises improve psychological well-being and reduce negative affect, though effects are usually small. The claim is accurate as a directional statement, but it should not be read as implying large, guaranteed, or clinical-level improvement.

Caveats

  • The average benefit is typically small, so practical effects may be noticeable for some people and minimal for others.
  • Some evidence is for broader gratitude interventions, not only classic daily gratitude journals, though journaling-specific studies also show benefit.
  • This is not a substitute for treatment of depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions.

The Receipts

  1. A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of gratitude interventions on well-being

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

  2. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

  3. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed

  4. A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical and psychological outcomes

    Journal of Psychosomatic Research

  5. A Brief Gratitude Writing Intervention Decreased Stress and Negative Affect During the COVID-19 Pandemic

    PubMed Central (International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology)

  6. Gratitude and Well-Being

    University of California, Davis

  7. Gratitude as Mood Mediates the Effects of a 6-Weeks Gratitude Intervention on Mental Well-Being

    Frontiers in Psychology

  8. A Mobile App–Based Gratitude Intervention's Effect on Mental Well-Being in University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial

    JMIR mHealth and uHealth

  9. The Association between Gratitude and Depression: A Meta-Analysis

    International Journal of Depression and Anxiety

  10. Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness - and may even lengthen lives

    Harvard Health Publishing

+ 13 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Gratitude JournalingMental Health

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