BACKGROUND METHODS RESULTS (continued)christinaarmenta.weebly.com › uploads › 3 › 0 › 7 ›...
Transcript of BACKGROUND METHODS RESULTS (continued)christinaarmenta.weebly.com › uploads › 3 › 0 › 7 ›...
Background
Can expressing gratitude motivate 9th and 10th graders to
improve themselves?
• Theory suggests that gratitude should serve as a motivator of
self-improvement, but little research has directly examined
the capacity of gratitude to motivate positive change or
examined the mechanisms underlying this process.
• In previous studies, we found that expressing gratitude leads
to relatively greater elevation, connectedness, and
indebtedness (Layous, Sweeny, Armenta, Na, Choi, &
Lyubomirsky, 2016).
• Further, writing weekly gratitude letters predicted greater
effort toward becoming a kinder person throughout an
intervention than writing gratitude letters less frequently or
writing about a neutral topic (Layous, Nelson, Kurtz, &
Lyubomirsky, in press).
• In addition, employees who expressed gratitude reported
greater empowerment, job performance, and autonomy via
increased elevation (Armenta, Layous, Nelson, Chancellor,
& Lyubomirsky, 2016).
The results of this study provide evidence that expressing
gratitude leads one to feel close and connected to others,
uplifted and inspired to be a better person, and the need to
repay another for their actions, which is then associated with
greater self- improvement motivation at a 3-month follow-up.
Procedure
• In this 4-week intervention, students were randomly
assigned either to write weekly gratitude letters to
someone who helped them with their academics, helped
them with their health, or did something kind for them.
Those in the control condition were prompted to list what
they did the previous week.
• Participants were then instructed to try to improve
themselves either in academics, in health, or in kindness
(i.e., try to do more kind acts). Participants in the control
condition were instructed to try to become more
organized.
BACKGROUND METHODS
CONDITION 1:
Gratitude Letter
(Academics)
Self-Improvement
in Academics
CONDITION 2:
Gratitude Letter
(Kindness)
Self-Improvement
in Kindness
CONDITION 3:
Gratitude Letter
(Health)
Self-Improvement
in Health
CONDITION 4:
Daily Activities
(Control)
Self-Improvement
in Organization
RESULTS (continued)
PARTICIPANTS
• Participants were 1,026 9th and 10th grade students from four
high schools (516 female, 501 male).
• 41% White, 18% Hispanic, 14.5% Asian, 15% More than
one/Other, < 5% Pacific Islander, Native American, or Black
RESULTS
First, we tested the total effect of gratitude on self-
improvement motivation (b = 0.37, p < .01). We then estimated
the path coefficients using a mediation model, as well as a 5000
bootstrap bias-corrected confidence interval for the indirect
effect of gratitude on self-improvement motivation (N = 495).
Conditions were dummy coded (Gratitude = 1, Control = 0).
Figure 1. Expressing gratitude led to greater self-improvement
motivation via increased average connectedness throughout the
intervention (Time 1 to Time 4).
CONCLUSION
Figure 2. Expressing gratitude led participants to feel more elevated,
which was then associated with greater self-improvement motivation.
Figure 3. Expressing gratitude did not lead to greater self-improvement
motivation at a 3-month follow-up via increased average humility.
Figure 4. Expressing gratitude led participants to feel more indebted,
which was then associated with greater self-improvement motivation.
0.35 ***Gratitude
T1 Self-
Improvement
T1-T4
Connectedness
T6 Self-
Improvement
Indirect Effect = 0.11
Bootstrap CI
[.05, .19]
0.25 †
0.31 ***
0.50 ***
0.26 ***
† p < .10 ,* p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
0.26 ***Gratitude
T1 Self-
Improvement
T1-T4
Elevation
T6 Self-
Improvement
Indirect Effect = 0.28
Bootstrap CI
[.17, .41]
0.08
1.06 ***
0.45 ***
0.52 ***
† p < .10 ,* p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
0.02 Gratitude
T1 Self-
Improvement
T1-T4
Humility
T6 Self-
Improvement
Indirect Effect = 0.002
Bootstrap CI
[-.01, .03]
0.35 **
0.10
0.59 ***
0.04
† p < .10 ,* p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
0.11 **Gratitude
T1 Self-
Improvement
T1-T4
Indebtedness
T6 Self-
Improvement
Indirect Effect = 0.15
Bootstrap CI
[.06, .26]
0.20
1.35 ***
0.56 ***
0.28 ***
† p < .10 ,* p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
Hypothesis:
We hypothesized that expressing gratitude would lead
participants to feel more connected, elevated, humble, and
indebted, which would then be associated with greater self-
improvement motivation (i.e., motivation, efficacy,
competence, and confidence).