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The Mediational Roles of Gratitude and Perceived Support in Explaining the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Mood

Author

Listed:
  • Rhonda Swickert

    (College of Charleston)

  • Erika Bailey

    (College of Charleston)

  • James Hittner

    (College of Charleston)

  • Andrew Spector

    (College of Charleston)

  • Brittaney Benson-Townsend

    (University of Nevada – Las Vegas)

  • N. Clayton Silver

    (University of Nevada – Las Vegas)

Abstract

Mindfulness allows an individual to reside in a state of nonjudgmental conscious awareness. In this state, individuals are able to make deliberate choices about their thoughts and emotions and in doing so, select more optimal experiences for themselves. In the present study, we predicted individuals who are more mindful are able to purposely attend to the environment, and as a result, would be more likely to notice and be grateful for the positive aspects of life that might otherwise go unappreciated. Given the strong links in the literature between mindfulness and well-being, we also examined whether gratitude might serve as a mediator in the relationship between mindfulness and mood. Additionally, because gratitude is believed to strengthen ties to others, we also tested whether gratitude and perceived social support might serve as mediators in a multi-mediated model. Specifically, it was predicted that mindfulness would contribute to the expression of heightened gratitude which, in turn, would influence a heightened sense of perceived support. This heightened sense of support from others was then predicted to enhance feelings of positive mood states and decrease feelings of negative mood states. Participants (N = 700) completed a survey that assessed mindfulness, gratitude, perceived support, and mood. Findings showed a significant association between mindfulness and gratitude. Mediational analyses also showed that both gratitude and perceived support served to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and positive and negative mood. However, in the case of negative mood, our hypothesized model did not provide the best fit to the data. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to the role mindfulness, gratitude and perceived support play in the promotion of positive and negative mood states.

Suggested Citation

  • Rhonda Swickert & Erika Bailey & James Hittner & Andrew Spector & Brittaney Benson-Townsend & N. Clayton Silver, 2019. "The Mediational Roles of Gratitude and Perceived Support in Explaining the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Mood," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 815-828, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:20:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10902-017-9952-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-017-9952-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hongyan Jiang & Peizhen Sun & Yeyi Liu & Mengjie Pan, 2016. "Gratitude and Late Adolescents’ School Well-being: The Mediating Role of Materialism," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 1363-1376, July.
    2. Annika Howells & Itai Ivtzan & Francisco Eiroa-Orosa, 2016. "Putting the ‘app’ in Happiness: A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Smartphone-Based Mindfulness Intervention to Enhance Wellbeing," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 163-185, February.
    3. Emily Polak & Michael McCullough, 2006. "Is gratitude an alternative to materialism?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 343-360, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xinyue Wen & Ismaël Rafaï & Sébastien Duchêne & Marc Willinger, 2022. "Did Mindful People Do Better during the COVID-19 Pandemic? Mindfulness Is Associated with Well-Being and Compliance with Prophylactic Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-25, April.
    2. Giulia Casu & Eugenia Gentili & Paola Gremigni, 2020. "Future Time Perspective and Perceived Social Support: The Mediating Role of Gratitude," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-11, September.
    3. Chuhua Zheng & Yanhong Wu, 2020. "The More Modest You are, the Happier You are: The Mediating Roles of Emotional Intelligence and Self-esteem," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 1603-1615, June.
    4. Yanhui Xiang & Rong Yuan, 2021. "Why Do People with High Dispositional Gratitude Tend to Experience High Life Satisfaction? A Broaden-and-Build Theory Perspective," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 2485-2498, August.

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