Gratitude in Romantic Couples: The Relevance of the Depth of Gratitude for Relationship Satisfaction and Flourishing

The study aims to experimentally induce gratitude in individuals above the age of 18. Participants are in committed, monogamous romantic relationships lasting at least one year. The study examines whether different levels of gratitude can be induced depending on what people feel grateful for. It also investigates whether these differences have distinct effects on relationship flourishing and relationship satisfaction. The experimental conditions are the following: General gratitude unrelated to the romantic relationship, gratitude within the relationship towards their partner for everyday ordinary things, gratitude within the relationship towards their partner for big or special moments. These conditions will be compared with the control condition in which participants write about a positive experience unrelated to their romantic relationship (without gratitude induction).