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Gratitude and Life Satisfaction in the United States and Japan

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  • Briana L. Robustelli

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Mark A. Whisman

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

Abstract

Being grateful has been associated with many positive outcomes, including greater happiness, positive affect, optimism, and self-esteem. There is limited research, however, on the associations between gratitude and different domains of life satisfaction across cultures. The current study examined the associations between gratitude and three domains of life satisfaction, including satisfaction in relationships, work, and health, and overall life satisfaction, in the United States and Japan. A total of 945 participants were drawn from two samples of middle aged and older adults, the Midlife Development in the United States and the Midlife Development in Japan. There were significant positive bivariate associations between gratitude and all four measures of life satisfaction. In addition, after adjusting for demographics, neuroticism, extraversion, and the other measures of satisfaction, gratitude was uniquely and positively associated with satisfaction with relationships and life overall but not with satisfaction with work or health. Furthermore, results indicated that women and individuals who were more extraverted and lived in the United States were more grateful and individuals with less than a high school degree were less grateful. The findings from this study suggest that gratitude is uniquely associated with specific domains of life satisfaction. Results are discussed with respect to future research and the design and implementation of gratitude interventions, particularly when including individuals from different cultures.

Suggested Citation

  • Briana L. Robustelli & Mark A. Whisman, 2018. "Gratitude and Life Satisfaction in the United States and Japan," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 41-55, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:19:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10902-016-9802-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-016-9802-5
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    1. Ed Diener & Eunkook Suh & Heidi Smith & Liang Shao, 1995. "National differences in reported subjective well-being: Why do they occur?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 7-32, January.
    2. Chih-Che Lin & Yu-chu Yeh, 2014. "How Gratitude Influences Well-Being: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 205-217, August.
    3. Richard Lucas & M. Brent Donnellan, 2012. "Estimating the Reliability of Single-Item Life Satisfaction Measures: Results from Four National Panel Studies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 105(3), pages 323-331, February.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Zhang, Huiping & Wang, Yilin, 2019. "Bullying victimization and depression among young Chinese adults with physical disability: Roles of gratitude and self-compassion," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 51-56.
    4. Bozena Burzynska-Tatjewska & Gerald Matthews & Maciej Stolarski, 2022. "Seeking Causality in the Links between Time Perspectives and Gratitude, Savoring the Moment and Prioritizing Positivity: Initial Empirical Test of Three Conceptual Models," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-20, April.
    5. N. S. Fagley, 2018. "Appreciation (Including Gratitude) and Affective Well-Being: Appreciation Predicts Positive and Negative Affect Above the Big Five Personality Factors and Demographics," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(4), pages 21582440188, December.
    6. Olivia D. Chang & Nicolás Sánchez-Álvarez & Lourdes Rey & Natalio Extremera & Misu Kwon & Mingqi Li, 2022. "Gratitude, Emotional Intelligence, and Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults: Evidence for a Broaden-and-Build Model or an Amplification Model?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2597-2611, August.
    7. Carmen Sánchez-Guardiola Paredes & Eva María Aguaded Ramírez & Clemente Rodríguez-Sabiote, 2021. "Content Validation of a Semi-Structured Interview to Analyze the Management of Suffering," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-24, October.

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