Methods of gratitude expression and their effects upon well-being: Texting may be just as rewarding as and less risky than face-to-face

The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2022. Vol. 17. No. 5. P. 690–700.

Sheldon K. M., Yu S.

In three studies of U.S. and Taiwanese participants, we tested the common assumption that it is more satisfying to express gratitude face-to-face (FtF) than indirectly (i.e. by text or email). Scenario-based Study 1 assessed lay theories, finding that participants indeed expected more positive emotion but also expected more negative emotion to accompany FtF expression. Retrospective study 2 assigned participants to recall their emotions after a recent time they thanked somebody, either FtF or by text message. Positive emotions did not differ in the two conditions. Longitudinal Study 3 assigned participants to create three thanking episodes, either FtF, by phone, or by text. All three gratitude conditions boosted well-being compared to a neutral control condition, but differed little from each other in their effects. Cultural differences were observed but were mostly irrelevant to our hypotheses. Our results indicate that texting somebody a quick ‘thank you’ may be just as positively impactful as, and less risky than, thanking them to their face.

Keywords: well-being, positive psychology, subjective well-being, positive emotions, gratitude, happiness interventions

Publication based on the results of: The role of meaning in success, well-being, and coping with life challenges (2022)