ArticleFrontiers in psychology2024
A randomized trial investigating the impact of response expectancy on the counting blessings intervention: the role of optimism as a moderator.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dispositional optimism and open-label placebo responses in hair cortisol concentrations and psychological distress-A randomized controlled trial.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Trial
- The immediate effects of a brief gratitude intervention on positive affect, negative affect, and heart rate: a randomized controlled study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Social interactions and affective neuroscience personality traits among Chinese educators: a randomized intervention study on wellbeing.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: This randomized controlled trial aimed to address a knowledge gap concerning the mechanisms responsible for the efficacy of gratitude interventions. Specifically, we investigated how various response expectancies (positive, ambiguous + negative, and no expectancy) impact the efficacy of the "counting blessings" intervention in influencing positive and negative emotions. Additionally, the study explores how optimism levels (high, medium, low) interact with these expectancies to influence intervention efficacy. Method: A total of 529 adult volunteers were recruited through social media and randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions, Positive Condition (PC), Ambiguous + Negative Condition (ANC), No Expectancy Condition (NEC), using a Random Sequence Generator. Of these, 142 participants completed the seven-day counting blessings intervention, and 111 participated in a follow-up assessment 1 month later. Missing data were addressed using multiple imputation. The main outcomes were changes in positive and negative emotions, with moderation analysis assessing the interaction between optimism levels and response expectancies. The study adhered to the CONSORT guidelines. Results: While no significant interaction was found between experimental conditions and time regarding emotional outcomes ( Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the effectiveness of a brief gratitude journal and underscore the nuanced role of response expectancy, especially in interaction with the initial level of optimism, in enhancing positive emotions. These results hold significance for both theoretical understanding and clinical applications.
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Registered trials
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