Gratitude in Action: Unveiling Its Impact on Life Engagement

Keywords: Gratitude, Life Engagement, Emotional Regulation, Life Meaning, Social Support, Positive Psychology

Abstract

Gratitude, as a positive emotional state, has been shown to significantly enhance well-being and mental health. This study aims to explore the impact of gratitude on life engagement, focusing on how gratitude can increase individuals’ active participation in various aspects of life, such as work, social interactions, and personal growth. The study also examines the mediating roles of life meaning and social support in this relationship and how emotional regulation ability moderates the effects of gratitude on life engagement. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey combined with a longitudinal follow-up, 300 participants from diverse backgrounds were assessed for their levels of gratitude, life engagement, emotional regulation, and perceived social support. Results are expected to show that gratitude is positively associated with life engagement, and this effect is mediated by enhanced life meaning and social support. Additionally, individuals with higher emotional regulation abilities are predicted to experience a stronger impact of gratitude on life engagement. These findings contribute to the understanding of gratitude’s broader influence on life participation and offer practical insights for developing interventions aimed at fostering gratitude to improve personal and professional life satisfaction.

References

Algoe, S. B., Haidt, J., & Gable, S. L. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion, 8(3), 425.

Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. routledge.

Czikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (pp. 75-77). New York: Harper & Row.

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of personality and social psychology, 84(2), 377.

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American psychologist, 56(3), 218.

Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of general psychology, 2(3), 271-299.

McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. A. (2002). The grateful disposition: a conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of personality and social psychology, 82(1), 112.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68.

Scheier, M. F., Wrosch, C., Baum, A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Matthews, K. A., ... & Zdaniuk, B. (2006). The life engagement test: Assessing purpose in life. Journal of behavioral medicine, 29, 291-298.

Steger, M. F., Oishi, S., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Meaning in life across the life span: Levels and correlates of meaning in life from emerging adulthood to older adulthood. The journal of positive psychology, 4(1), 43-52.

Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical psychology review, 30(7), 890-905.

Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2008). Gratitude uniquely predicts satisfaction with life: Incremental validity above the domains and facets of the five factor model. Personality and individual differences, 45(1), 49-54.

Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of personality assessment, 52(1), 30-41.

Published
2024-10-24
How to Cite
Zhang, Y. (2024). Gratitude in Action: Unveiling Its Impact on Life Engagement. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 7(10), 168-174. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v7i10.2330