Practicing gratitude has been shown to have a significant impact on mental health and overall well-being.

Gratitude as alternative to sucicide

Practicing Gratitude

Practicing gratitude has been shown to have a significant impact on mental health and overall well-being. This practice involves regularly acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of life, which can lead to various psychological and social benefits.

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Emotional and Psychological Benefits

Gratitude exercises can evoke a complex emotional experience, leading to feelings of gratitude, elevation, connectedness, and sometimes indebtedness and guilt. These exercises can simultaneously produce both pleasant and unpleasant socially-relevant states, highlighting the nuanced emotional landscape they create (Layous et al., 2017).
Regular gratitude practice has been associated with improvements in mood, reduced stress and depression, and enhanced overall health and well-being. It can also increase alertness, energy, enthusiasm, determination, and optimism (, 2013).
A 6-week gratitude intervention was found to significantly improve mental well-being in individuals with low to moderate well-being and moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety. The effects were sustained up to six months, suggesting a lasting impact on mental health (Bohlmeijer et al., 2020).

Social and Cultural Context

Gratitude practices can strengthen relationships and increase social connectedness. Participants in an online community who engaged in a gratitude practice reported improvements in social support and reduced stress (Kreitzer et al., 2019).
Cultural differences affect the impact of gratitude practices. In collectivist cultures, such as India and Taiwan, gratitude exercises may not enhance happiness as effectively as in individualist cultures like the U.S. However, they can still promote feelings of elevation and reduce negative affect (Shin et al., 2020).

Practical Applications and Interventions

Various gratitude interventions, such as writing gratitude letters or using gratitude journals, have been shown to foster unique facets of gratitude and enhance prosocial intentions among adolescents and young adults (Baumsteiger et al., 2019).
Technological interventions, such as smartphone apps, can effectively promote gratitude by embedding inspirational content and contextually relevant reminders into daily life. These interventions have been associated with increased expressions of gratitude and improved psychological well-being (Ghandeharioun et al., 2016).

Challenges and Future Directions

While gratitude interventions can lead to numerous positive outcomes, their unique benefits may sometimes be overstated in the literature. It is important to continue exploring the specific conditions under which gratitude practices are most effective (Dickens, 2017).
Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which gratitude influences well-being and to develop culturally sensitive interventions that can be adapted to different social contexts (Shin et al., 2020; Dickens, 2017).

In conclusion, practicing gratitude is a powerful tool for enhancing mental health and social well-being. It offers a range of emotional and psychological benefits, though its effectiveness can vary across different cultural contexts. Continued research and innovative interventions are essential to maximize the potential of gratitude practices.

References

Layous, K., Sweeny, K., Armenta, C., Na, S., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S., 2017. The proximal experience of gratitude. PLoS ONE, 12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179123

Bohlmeijer, E., Kraiss, J., Watkins, P., & Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., 2020. Promoting Gratitude as a Resource for Sustainable Mental Health: Results of a 3-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial up to 6 Months Follow-up. Journal of Happiness Studies, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00261-5, 2013. With Gratitude. Mycologia, 105, pp. 1627 – 1628. https://doi.org/10.3852/105.6.1627

Shin, L., Armenta, C., Wu, H., Lyubomirsky, S., Kamble, S., & Chang, S., 2020. Gratitude in collectivist and individualist cultures. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15, pp. 598 – 604. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1789699

Kreitzer, M., Telke, S., Hanson, L., Leininger, B., & Evans, R., 2019. Outcomes of a Gratitude Practice in an Online Community of Caring.. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 25 4, pp. 385-391. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0460

Baumsteiger, R., Mangan, S., Bronk, K., & Bono, G., 2019. An integrative intervention for cultivating gratitude among adolescents and young adults. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14, pp. 807 – 819. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1579356

Dickens, L., 2017. Using Gratitude to Promote Positive Change: A Series of Meta-Analyses Investigating the Effectiveness of Gratitude Interventions. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 39, pp. 193 – 208. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2017.1323638

Ghandeharioun, A., Azaria, A., Taylor, S., & Picard, R., 2016. “Kind and Grateful”: A Context-Sensitive Smartphone App Utilizing Inspirational Content to Promote Gratitude. Psychology of Well-Being, 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13612-016-0046-2

Practicing Gratitude as a Suicide Alternative

Gratitude, defined as the appreciation of positive aspects of life, has been increasingly studied as a potential protective factor against suicidal ideation and behavior. This research explores the mechanisms through which gratitude may reduce suicide risk and its effectiveness as an intervention.

Protective Mechanisms of Gratitude

Psychosocial Well-being: Gratitude is associated with improved psychosocial well-being and decreased psychopathology, which in turn reduces suicide risk. It positively influences factors such as hopelessness, depression, social support, and substance misuse, thereby mitigating suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Kaniuka et al., 2020; Kaniuka et al., 2020; Kleiman et al., 2013).

Meaning in Life: Gratitude, along with traits like grit, enhances the sense of meaning in life, which serves as a resilience factor against suicide. Individuals with high levels of gratitude and grit report fewer suicidal ideations over time (Kleiman et al., 2013).

Interpersonal Functioning: Gratitude improves interpersonal functioning by fostering social support and reducing depressive symptoms, which are critical in lowering suicidal ideation, especially among vulnerable groups such as sexual minorities and veterans (Kaniuka et al., 2020; Umucu et al., 2021).

Effectiveness of Gratitude Interventions

Clinical and Non-Clinical Populations: Gratitude interventions have shown promise in both clinical settings, such as psychiatric hospitals, and non-clinical settings, like among college students and internet users with high suicidal ideation. These interventions can effectively reduce suicidal thoughts by enhancing gratitude and related positive emotions (Schnitker et al., 2021; Sueki and Ishikawa, 2021; Krysińska, 2018).

Feasibility and Utility: Studies indicate that gratitude interventions are feasible and can be effectively implemented as part of suicide prevention strategies. They are particularly useful for individuals who may not have access to traditional psychiatric care (Sueki and Ishikawa, 2021).

Challenges and Future Directions

Mediating Factors: While gratitude is linked to reduced suicidal ideation, its effects can be mediated by factors such as self-esteem and coping efficacy. The impact of gratitude is more pronounced in individuals experiencing fewer stressful life events (Li et al., 2012).

Research Gaps: Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of gratitude interventions and to identify the most effective ways to cultivate gratitude in diverse populations. Understanding the interaction between gratitude and other protective factors could enhance the development of comprehensive suicide prevention programs (Krysińska et al., 2015).

In conclusion, gratitude emerges as a significant protective factor against suicide, offering a promising avenue for intervention. By fostering positive emotions and enhancing meaning in life, gratitude can play a crucial role in reducing suicidal ideation and behavior across various populations.

References

Schnitker, S., Currier, J., Abernethy, A., Witvliet, v., Foster, J., Luna, L., VanHarn, K., & Carter, J., 2021. Gratitude and Patience Moderate Meaning Struggles and Suicidal Risk in a Cross-Sectional Study of Inpatients at a Christian Psychiatric Hospital.. Journal of personality. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12644

Kaniuka, A., Rabon, J., Brooks, B., Sirois, F., Kleiman, E., & Hirsch, J., 2020. Gratitude and suicide risk among college students: Substantiating the protective benefits of being thankful. Journal of American College Health, 69, pp. 660 – 667. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1705838

Kleiman, E., Adams, L., Kashdan, T., & Riskind, J., 2013. Gratitude and grit indirectly reduce risk of suicidal ideations by enhancing meaning in life: Evidence for a mediated moderation model. Journal of Research in Personality, 47, pp. 539-546. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRP.2013.04.007

Kaniuka, A., Job, S., Brooks, B., & Williams, S., 2020. Gratitude and lower suicidal ideation among sexual minority individuals: theoretical mechanisms of the protective role of attention to the positive. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16, pp. 819 – 830. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1818814

Sueki, H., & Ishikawa, K., 2021. The feasibility and utility of gratitude intervention for suicidal internet users. **. https://doi.org/10.31234/OSF.IO/VZCU2

Kleiman, E., Adams, L., Kashdan, T., & Riskind, J., 2013. Grateful individuals are not suicidal: Buffering risks associated with hopelessness and depressive symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences, 55, pp. 595-599. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PAID.2013.05.002

Krysińska, K., 2018. Gratitude as a Protective Factor for Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour: The Theory and the Evidence Base. **, pp. 89-110. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03225-8_5

Umucu, E., Lo, C., Lee, B., Vargas-Medrano, J., Diaz-Pacheco, V., Misra, K., Martin, S., Thompson, P., & Gadad, B., 2021. Is Gratitude Associated With Suicidal Ideation in Veterans With Mental Illness and Student Veterans With PTSD Symptoms?. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 210, pp. 26 – 31. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000001406

Krysińska, K., Lester, D., Lyke, J., & Corveleyn, J., 2015. Trait gratitude and suicidal ideation and behavior: an exploratory study.. Crisis, 36 4, pp. 291-6. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000320

Li, D., Zhang, W., Li, X., Li, N., & Ye, B., 2012. Gratitude and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among Chinese adolescents: direct, mediated, and moderated effects.. Journal of adolescence, 35 1, pp. 55-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.06.005