In a new study, researchers found that a gratitude intervention will not help people feel less depressed or anxious.
The research was conducted by a team at Ohio State University.
For years now, people have heard in the media and elsewhere about how finding ways to increase gratitude can help make us happier and healthier in so many ways.
There are two commonly recommended gratitude interventions.
One is the “Three Good Things” exercise: At the end of the day, a person thinks of three things that went well for them that day, then writes them down and reflects on them.
Another is a “gratitude visit,” when a person writes a letter thanking someone who has made a difference in their life and then reads the letter to that person.
In the study, the researchers analyzed results from 27 separate studies that examined the effectiveness of gratitude interventions on reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The 27 studies involved in this analysis often had participants do one of these exercises or something similar. The studies included 3,675 participants.
The results showed that such interventions had limited benefits at best. The gratitude intervention was not much better at relieving anxiety and depression than the seemingly unrelated activity.
The team says there was a difference, but it was a small difference. It would not be something doctors would recommend as a treatment.
As an alternative, they recommend people pursue treatments that have been shown to be effective with anxiety and depression, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
The results don’t mean that there are no benefits to being grateful or to using gratitude interventions. In fact, some studies show that such interventions are effective in improving relationships.
The lead author of the study is David Cregg, a doctoral student in psychology at Ohio State.
The study is published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
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