Are There Certain Ways of Writing a Gratitude Journal That Are More Predictive of Benefits? an Examination of the Use of “I” Words and Focusing on the Self

College students were assigned to write one of three types of journals: gratitude, hassles, or life details. Participants in the gratitude condition showed increases to gratitude and well-being, but only if they focused less on themselves (e.g., used fewer “I” words). This effect was not observed in the control conditions.