Being Thankful: Examining the Relationship Between Young Adult Religiosity and Gratitude
Authors:
- 30 July 2014
- journal article
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of Religion and Health
- Vol. 54 (4) , 1331-1344
Abstract
Studies show that religious people tend to be more grateful, yet existing research tends to rely on small, non-representative samples and limited measures of religiosity. Therefore, we use a national sample (the National Study of Youth and Religion) and multiple measures of religiosity to examine the extent to which religion is associated with feelings of gratitude. We find that religious efficacy and having religious friends positively predict the extent to which young adults feel grateful. In contrast, religious affiliation, participation in organized religion, private devotion, religious salience, otherworldly beliefs, and being spiritual but not religious are unrelated to experiencing feelings of gratitude.Keywords
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Religious Involvement, Gratitude, and Change in Depressive Symptoms Over TimeThe International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 2009
- Religious Involvement and Transitions into Adolescent Sexual ActivitiesSociology of Religion, 2009
- The role of gratitude in the development of social support, stress, and depression: Two longitudinal studiesJournal of Research in Personality, 2008
- Gratitude Toward God, Stress, and Health in Late LifeResearch on Aging, 2006
- Spiritual Seeking, Narcissism, and Psychotherapy: How Are They Related?Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2005
- Appreciation: Individual Differences in Finding Value and Meaning as a Unique Predictor of Subjective Well‐BeingJournal of Personality, 2004
- Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003
- The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002
- Gratitude as a Human Strength: Appraising the EvidenceJournal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2000
- The spontaneous use of thank you by preschoolers as a function of sex, socioeconomic status, and listener statusLanguage in Society, 1986