The Role of Gratitude in Psychological Well-Being and Life Satisfaction: A Replication Study in a German Cultural Context

Abstract

Gratitude, defined as a positive emotional response to the recognition of benevolence or favorable life circumstances, is widely acknowledged as a protective factor for psychological well-being and life satisfaction. However, the generalizability of these benefits across cultural contexts and socioeconomic strata remains largely underexplored. A recent study conducted with Indian students, thus within a collectivistic culture, found gratitude to be a significant predictor of well-being and life satisfaction, even after controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. The present close replication study was conducted with a German sample (n = 401), thereby representing an individualistic context, where it was initially unclear whether gratitude effects would also emerge independently of individuals’ socioeconomic status, which plays a more central role in an individualistic (vs. collectivistic) context. German participants completed validated self-report measures assessing gratitude, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and socioeconomic status. In line with the preregistered hypotheses, the findings of the original study were successfully replicated, suggesting that gratitude functions as a robust psychological resource, even in societies where socioeconomic status is tightly linked to identity and well-being.