| Positive Psychology identifies a strong relationship between gratitude and subjective
well-being (SWB); however, the mechanisms that drive this relationship are unknown (Wood et
al., 2010). This study explored possible mechanisms in the gratitude-SWB relationship:
normativity (agreement between a person’s ratings of another’s personality and what the average
person is like) and executive function (EF) represented by the constructs of working memory and
inhibitory control. Participants were recruited from a university in the Pacific Northwest (n = 67)
and an online participant recruitment platform (n = 59). All participants completed surveys and
EF tasks, and about half received the “Count your blessing” gratitude intervention, for which
participants listed 5 things they were grateful for and then described 1 item in detail. All
participants also judged 6 individuals after observing 1-minute videos in which people described
a high point in their life. The multilevel social accuracy model (Biesanz, 2010) was used to
generate normativity scores for the judges. The normativity scores were used in both a
multivariate model using the components of SWB (satisfaction with life, positive affect, and
negative affect) as dependent variables and a structural equation model where the components of
SWB were combined into a latent variable. It was hypothesized that 1) the gratitude intervention
group would have higher normativity scores than the control group, 2) normativity would
mediate the gratitude-SWB relationship, and 3) executive function would moderate the direct
relationship between gratitude and SWB and the relationship between gratitude and normativity.
Results suggest there is no difference in the normativity scores of the groups. Also, normativity
did not mediate the gratitude-SWB relationship, although gratitude and normativity were
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negatively related. Executive functioning also did not have an effect on the relationship between
gratitude and SWB or between gratitude and normativity. Finally, an exploratory analysis
indicated that those with high gratitude and high inhibition control had lower normativity scores
than those with low gratitude and low inhibition control. Overall this study casts doubt on
normativity and executive function as possible mechanisms in the gratitude-SWB relationship.
Key Words: gratitude, gratitude interventions, subjective well-being, personality judgment
accuracy, normativity, executive function |