Gratitude enhances the beneficial effects of social support on psychological well-being

Abstract

Receiving support during stress can have a positive psychological impact. Additionally, gratitude is associated with increased perceptions of support and strengthened social relationships. The purpose of the current study was to experimentally examine whether gratitude enhanced the benefits of receiving support during stress. One-hundred twenty-seven college students were randomly assigned to write about a gratitude-inducing experience or a neutral experience. Following the writing procedure, participants gave a speech during which time they were randomly assigned to receive support or no support. Data were analyzed using two-way factorial Analysis of Covariance. Results revealed a significant interaction between gratitude and receiving social support during the speech, such that individuals in the gratitude writing condition who received support perceived significantly less stress than individuals who did not receive support. These results provide more support for the growing body of literature suggesting that gratitude enhances the beneficial effects of support on psychological well-being.