The Role of Gratitude in Appreciative Joy's Contribution to Subjective Well-Being

IF 3.3 3区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

International Journal of Psychology Pub Date : 2025-02-02 DOI:10.1002/ijop.70010

Rong Wang, Jingyi Zhou, Yang Zhang, Xiaodan Gu, Xianglong Zeng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Appreciative joy is one of four immeasurables emphasised in Buddhism. There are similarities and differences between appreciative joy and gratitude, but their combined roles in improving subjective well-being (SWB) are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between appreciative joy and gratitude and their contribution to SWB. Study 1 utilised a cross-sectional survey to evaluate the relationships among appreciative joy, gratitude, and SWB. Study 2 used a randomised controlled trial to explore the effects of a four-week appreciative joy meditation (AJM) training and the underlying mechanisms. The results of Study 1 indicated a moderate positive correlation between appreciative joy and gratitude, and gratitude partially mediated the appreciative joy–SWB relationship. Study 2 further supported the idea that AJM training could increase appreciative joy and gratitude at the one-month follow-up. Furthermore, changes in gratitude caused by the intervention were mediated by appreciative joy. However, since SWB significantly improved at post-measures, we cannot conclude that appreciative joy and gratitude mediated the intervention effect on SWB. Our findings expand the underlying mechanisms of appreciative joy beyond interpersonal domains and highlight the importance of gratitude in understanding the effects of the Buddhist four immeasurable meditations.

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来源期刊

International Journal of Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Psychology (IJP) is the journal of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS) and is published under the auspices of the Union. IJP seeks to support the IUPsyS in fostering the development of international psychological science. It aims to strengthen the dialog within psychology around the world and to facilitate communication among different areas of psychology and among psychologists from different cultural backgrounds. IJP is the outlet for empirical basic and applied studies and for reviews that either (a) incorporate perspectives from different areas or domains within psychology or across different disciplines, (b) test the culture-dependent validity of psychological theories, or (c) integrate literature from different regions in the world.