# Individual Differences in the Affective Experience of Writing a Gratitude Letter: Who Benefits Most?

## TL;DR

This study explores how different people experience writing gratitude letters, identifying who benefits most and who might feel worse.

## Contribution

The study identifies three distinct emotional response clusters to gratitude letter writing and links them to individual traits.

## Key findings

- Three clusters emerged: Buffered, Mixed Feelings, and Backfired, each with distinct emotional outcomes.
- The Buffered group had higher baseline negative feelings and lower gratitude, while the Mixed Feelings group invested more effort.
- The Backfired group experienced reduced positive emotions and increased negative affect despite being more grateful.

## Abstract

This study merged archival data from three separate experiments to investigate the typology of individuals who benefit most and least from gratitude letter writing interventions (N = 487). First, k-means clustering of pre- to post-intervention changes in affect revealed three distinct groups: Buffered, Mixed Feelings, and Backfired. The Buffered cluster comprised individuals who, on average, experienced decreases in negative affect (e.g., less frustration) but no changes in positive emotions (e.g., joyful). The Mixed Feelings cluster experienced increases in positive affect, alongside self-conscious emotions, particularly indebtedness, which became more closely aligned with uplifting emotional states following the intervention. The Backfired cluster experienced decreases in positive feelings and increases in negative affect. Next, differences in individual characteristics across clusters indicated that those in the Buffered cluster were relatively more neurotic, had higher baseline negative feelings, and lower trait gratitude. Individuals in the Mixed Feelings cluster tended to be more dispositionally grateful and seemed to invest more effort into the activity. Finally, individuals in the Backfired cluster were also relatively more grateful and had higher baseline positive affect. These findings contribute to understanding individual differences in the effectiveness of gratitude letter interventions and highlight opportunities to tailor such activities to promote personal growth.