B3954 - Understanding the Relationship Between Gratitude and Meaning in Life in the ALSPAC Cohort Study - 27/01/2022

B number: 
B3954
Principal applicant name: 
Claire Haworth | University of Bristol (Uk)
Co-applicants: 
Ms. Amy Griffin, Ms Nina Di Cara
Title of project: 
Understanding the Relationship Between Gratitude and Meaning in Life in the ALSPAC Cohort Study
Proposal summary: 

This project will investigate the relationship between gratitude and meaning in life. There is a large body of evidence demonstrating a positive association between gratitude and wellbeing (Sansone & Sansone, 2010; Wood et al., 2010). However, research into the relationship between gratitude and specific aspects of wellbeing, namely eudaimonic wellbeing, is lacking. Eudaimonic wellbeing refers to the extent to which someone is fully functioning, focusing on meaning and self-realisation (Ryan & Deci, 2001). Meaning in life is a key indicator of eudaimonic wellbeing, therefore by investigating the predictive relationship between gratitude and meaning in life, this study will enable insights into the relationship between gratitude and eudaimonic wellbeing. In addition, this study aims to investigate whether the relationship between gratitude and meaning in life is stronger in some individuals than others, such that this study will investigate the moderating role of gender, qualification, and childhood socioeconomic status. The potential moderating role of these variables will be investigated because there is evidence suggesting that gender moderates the willingness to express gratitude, with men being less likely to feel and express gratitude than women (Kashdan et al., 2009). Additionally, there is evidence that measures of childhood socioeconomic status are associated with wellbeing, with more disadvantaged childhood socioeconomic status being associated with worse mental wellbeing at middle-age (Wood et al., 2021). Finally, there is mixed evidence regarding the relationship between educational attainment and wellbeing (Nikolaev, 2018). Time permitting, this study will also explore how the relationship between gratitude and eudaimonic wellbeing differs to the relationship between gratitude and hedonic wellbeing. Hedonic wellbeing focuses on pleasure and happiness (Ryan & Deci, 2001), and will be measured by subjective happiness and life satisfaction. Overall, this study will provide implications for gratitude interventions, which are increasingly being advocated to improve wellbeing (Rash et al., 2011). This research will enable conclusions to be made regarding who is likely to receive the optimum benefit from gratitude interventions, based on the findings of the moderation analysis.

Impact of research: 
It is hoped that this research will inform our understanding about the relationship between gratitude and eudaimonic wellbeing, including who this relationship is strongest for. This will enable inferences to be made regarding the utility of gratitude interventions. Gratitude interventions are positive psychology interventions and have been shown to be effective in improving wellbeing (Kardas et al., 2019). However, it is reasonable to assume that if the relationship between gratitude and meaning in life is stronger in some individuals, the efficacy of gratitude interventions may also be greater for these individuals. Therefore, by establishing the moderators of the relationship between gratitude and meaning in life, this study will have important implications regarding the utility of gratitude interventions, for example who could benefit from them the most. Additionally, this study will provide important insights into the relationship between these different measures of wellbeing. Despite the literature indicating that gratitude is an important variable with regards to wellbeing (Sansone & Sansone, 2010), there is little known about whether this extends to eudaimonic as well as hedonic wellbeing. Seligman (2012) placed emphasis on the importance of investigating eudaimonic wellbeing as he argued it is the most long-lasting form of wellbeing, hence an important target for intervention. Therefore, understanding the relationship between gratitude and eudaimonic wellbeing can have great impact in this field.
Date proposal received: 
Wednesday, 15 December, 2021
Date proposal approved: 
Thursday, 27 January, 2022
Keywords: 
Mental health - Psychology, Psychiatry, Cognition, Mental health, Statistical methods, Psychology - personality, Social science