THE SCIENCE
We won't oversell it. Specific gratitude has small but real effects.
Specific gratitude practice has small but reliable effects on mood, sleep, and life satisfaction. Here's what four decades of peer-reviewed research actually found, and how it shaped the prompt you see in the app.
Not a medical device.Gratitude Lock is a wellness tool. It is not a treatment for depression, anxiety, addiction, or any clinical condition. If you’re struggling, please talk to a professional — we link to local resources in the support page.
2003
Emmons & McCullough
Counting blessings vs. burdens
Three groups journaled weekly for 10 weeks. The gratitude group reported higher life satisfaction and fewer physical complaints than the neutral and complaint groups.
2010
Wood, Froh & Geraghty
Gratitude and well-being: a review
A review of 50+ studies linking gratitude as a trait to lower depression and anxiety, partly through a stronger sense of social support.
2017
Dickens
Meta-analysis of gratitude interventions
Across 38 randomised studies, brief gratitude practices produced small-but-reliable improvements in depression, well-being, and life satisfaction.
2021
Cregg & Cheavens
Updated meta-analysis
Mental-health effects are real but modest. The practices that worked best were specific ones — one moment, one reason — not generic "list things you're thankful for."