Does a Gratitude Practice Work? How to Start One

Last updated November 4, 2026 · 6 minute read

On average, a gratitude practice seems to help a little, not a lot. Reviews of many trials, such as Davis and colleagues (2016), find modest gains in wellbeing, though the evidence is weaker than it looks. Some people get more from it than others, and it should not replace care for depression or anxiety. It costs almost nothing to try: write down three things that went well, and why, once or twice a week for a few weeks.

What do reviews of the research say?

Davis and colleagues (2016) pooled the results of gratitude trials. Compared with doing no exercise, the exercises improved wellbeing (effect size d = 0.31, from five comparisons). Compared with another activity, they did a little better (d = 0.17). Compared with another exercise meant to improve wellbeing, they did no better (d = -0.03). An effect size of 0 means no difference, and larger numbers mean bigger differences.

Diniz and colleagues (2023) reviewed 64 randomized trials (studies that assign people to groups by chance) and reported more gratitude, better mental health and fewer anxiety and depression symptoms among people who did gratitude exercises. They suggested the practice may help alongside treatment.

How far can you trust those results?

Not fully. Diniz and colleagues (2023) rated most of the studies they assessed as high risk of bias. That means the studies had design problems that can make results look better than they are: people knew which exercise they were doing, many dropped out, and some analyses left out people who did not finish. Their combined results rest on questionnaires, which capture how people say they feel, and they rated the certainty of the results low or very low.

Small studies can also overstate results. White, Uttl and Holder (2019) re-examined two large reviews of positive psychology exercises, a group that includes gratitude exercises. They found that smaller studies tended to report larger effects, a pattern often linked to weaker results going unpublished. Allowing for that left a small effect on wellbeing, and an effect on depression that was usually too small to tell apart from chance.

Cregg and Cheavens (2021) note that earlier reviews raised the possibility of placebo effects, which means feeling better partly because you expect to. Taken together, these reviews point to small average benefits whose true size is uncertain.

Who may get less from it?

If you hope gratitude exercises will ease symptoms of depression or anxiety, the effect looks small. Cregg and Cheavens (2021) combined 27 studies with 3,675 people, found a small effect on those symptoms (effect size g = -0.29 soon after, -0.23 at follow-up; a minus sign means fewer symptoms), and advised choosing approaches with stronger evidence.

Culture may matter. In a trial with college students, Layous and colleagues (2013) found that weekly gratitude letters raised wellbeing more for U.S. students than for South Korean students, while kind acts helped both groups about equally. The authors suggested the letters may have stirred more mixed feelings, such as feeling indebted, for the South Korean students.

Personality may matter too. Sergeant and Mongrain (2011) studied 772 adults: a gratitude exercise and an uplifting music exercise raised happiness on average, but people high in a trait they called "neediness" got no benefit, and the exercises even harmed their self-esteem. These are single studies, so treat them as signs, not rules.

Four simple ways to start a gratitude practice

Pick the one that feels easiest. Most take a few minutes; a letter takes longer. If nothing comes to mind, start small: a warm shower, a kind message, a quiet minute.

• Three good things. At the end of the day, write down three things that went well and a line on why each happened. Example: "My neighbor waved and asked about my day. It happened because I stopped to say hello." Seligman and colleagues (2005) asked online volunteers to do this nightly for a week. They reported more happiness and fewer depressive symptoms up to six months later, most clearly those who kept going on their own.
• A gratitude journal. Write a few lines about people or moments you appreciate. Example: "My sister called just to hear how the interview went." The Greater Good Science Center (2011) passes on a gratitude researcher's advice to describe a few things in detail rather than list many, and to focus on people more than things.
• A thank-you letter or visit. Choose someone who helped you. Write what they did and what it meant, such as "You let me stay with you when I was out of work." If it feels safe, send it, or read it to them in person. Delivering a letter in person gave the biggest early lift of the exercises Seligman and colleagues (2005) tested, but it had faded by three months. Kumar and Epley (2018) found that letter writers underestimated how positive, and overestimated how awkward, recipients would feel.
• Noticing in the moment. When something small goes well, pause for a few seconds and name it, such as "That first sip of coffee was good." The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (2026) lists thinking of what you are thankful for each day as a self-care step, on paper or in your head.

How often should you do it?

The studies above used different schedules and do not settle the question. Lyubomirsky and colleagues (2005) described a six-week study of students who counted their blessings once or three times a week. Compared with a control group, wellbeing rose only for the once-a-week group, and the authors suggested that doing it more often may have made it stale.

The Greater Good Science Center (2011) suggests a journal once or twice a week, since people adapt quickly to good things they dwell on. Seligman and colleagues (2005) tested three good things nightly for one week. A sensible plan is to start with once or twice a week, and to do less if it begins to feel like a chore.

How do you keep it honest, not forced?

Gratitude is not a duty. You do not have to feel thankful for something painful or unfair, and you can appreciate one thing while still grieving or worrying about another. The Greater Good Science Center (2012) says it helps to choose activities that suit your personality and circumstances, and that you do willingly rather than as a chore.

• If an entry feels like a performance, shorten it or skip a day.
• Do not use gratitude to talk yourself out of a hard feeling. It can sit beside sadness or anger without replacing them.
• If thanking someone brings guilt or a sense of debt, try another practice, such as a small kind act, which helped both groups in the study by Layous and colleagues (2013).

When is gratitude not enough?

A gratitude practice cannot fix an unsafe or unfair situation, and it is not a treatment for depression or anxiety. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (2026) advises getting professional help for severe or distressing symptoms that last two weeks or more, such as trouble sleeping or losing interest in things you enjoy, and suggests starting with a primary care provider.

The UK's National Health Service (2023) says it is best not to delay seeing a doctor if you think you may be depressed. A gratitude practice can run alongside care. This guide is general information, not medical advice.

If you are in crisis or thinking about ending your life: in the United States, call or text 988, text HOME to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line, and call 911 if you are in immediate danger; elsewhere, use your local emergency number.

What should you do next?

Pick one method and try it for a few weeks. Then ask whether it is easy to keep up and whether you notice any change. If not, change the method or stop; that is a fair result, not a failure.

The free Gratitude Journal in the Solution Oriented Society (SOS) app has a daily check-in with short prompts and a Journal tab for past entries.

Sources

1. Thankful for the little things: A meta-analysis of gratitude interventions (Journal of Counseling Psychology (American Psychological Association), 2016)
2. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Einstein (Sao Paulo), via PubMed Central, 2023)
3. Gratitude interventions: Effective self-help? A meta-analysis of the impact on symptoms of depression and anxiety (Journal of Happiness Studies (Springer), 2021)
4. Meta-analyses of positive psychology interventions: The effects are much smaller than previously reported (PLOS ONE, 2019)
5. Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions (American Psychologist (American Psychological Association), 2005)
6. Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change (Review of General Psychology (American Psychological Association), 2005)
7. Culture matters when designing a successful happiness-increasing activity: A comparison of the United States and South Korea (Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (SAGE), 2013)
8. Are positive psychology exercises helpful for people with depressive personality styles? (The Journal of Positive Psychology (Taylor & Francis), 2011)
9. Undervaluing gratitude: Expressers misunderstand the consequences of showing appreciation (Psychological Science (Association for Psychological Science, SAGE), 2018)
10. Tips for keeping a gratitude journal (Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, 2011)
11. How to be happy: The fine print (Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, 2012)
12. Caring for your mental health (National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. National Institutes of Health, 2026)
13. Overview - Depression in adults (National Health Service (NHS), United Kingdom, 2023)