Research Projects

Ongoing Research Projects

Gratitude Project

How Best to Thank Your Partner: Maximizing the Benefits of Gratitude Conversations for Relationship Satisfaction

This project aims to investigate how gratitude conversations can be optimized to enhance relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. The research is grounded in the established benefits of gratitude for individual well-being and relationship quality. While previous studies have demonstrated that expressing gratitude can improve relationship outcomes, there is limited research on the specific conversational characteristics that maximize these benefits. The project addresses this gap by examining the dynamics of gratitude conversations and their impact on relationship satisfaction trajectories. The study will code gratitude conversations from two existing datasets, each comprising video-recorded gratitude conversations and daily diary entries from couples. The first study includes 53 couples followed over four weeks after an initial lab session, while the second study involves 80 couples tracked over two weeks with a six-month follow-up including two lab sessions before and after the two-week daily diary. Employing a Dynamic Dyadic Systems (DDS) approach, the study will analyze unique patterns in gratitude conversations to identify the most effective ways of expressing and responding to gratitude within romantic relationships. Growth curve models will then be employed to predict relationship satisfaction trajectories based on these conversational characteristics, controlling for factors such as relationship duration. This will address the main research question if there are specific patterns (i.e., recurring themes or conversational motifs) in gratitude conversations that predict relationship satisfaction trajectories. This project will contribute to the field by providing a nuanced understanding of how gratitude is best communicated in romantic relationships. Furthermore, linking specific conversational traits to both immediate and long-term changes in relationship satisfaction can inform the development of targeted, low-cost interventions to enhance relationship functioning. By identifying the most effective ways to express gratitude, this research has significant implications for relationship maintenance strategies and the development of interventions to strengthen romantic partnerships.

Who is funding this project?

This project started in May 2024 and is funded by the Love Consortium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Meet the wonderful research assistants working on this project:

  1. Simone Wyss: Simone is currently doing her Master’s degree at the University of Basel.
  2. Claire Szapary: Claire is currently a clinical research coordinator at the Massachusetts General Hospital//Harvard Medical School.
  3. Vanessa Samyü Luu: Vanessa is currently doing her Master’s degree at the University of Basel.
Simone Wyss is a Master's student in social, economic and decision psychology at the University of Basel whilst also working as a nurse. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing before transitioning to psychology. During an internship as part of the PINIE-Studie, she gained initial research experience in personality development, where she assisted with data collection, analysis, and participant recruitment. In her Master’s thesis, Simone combines her background in nursing and psychology by investigating the effectiveness of double-checks—a common safety measure in healthcare—in reducing errors. Simone´s research is driven by a commitment to practical relevance, aiming to make a meaningful impact on patient safety, personal development, and supporting individuals in their relationships. Simone is particularly fascinated by the Gratitude Project's innovative analytical approach, viewing conversations as sequences, similar to genetic sequences. She enjoys working with data and values how the Gratitude project helps her develop new skills in data analysis, including cluster analysis of conversations, identification of conversational motifs, and sequence analysis techniques.
Claire Szapary currently works as a clinical research coordinator at the Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR) at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She graduated from the Yale School of Public Health with a Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences and received her Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Public Health and Psychology. Broadly, her research interests focus on understanding the factors that contribute to strong, healthy relationships, with a particular emphasis on quantitative methods and intervention development. She is passionate about learning how to best support couples coping with stress or a experiencing a major life transition (e.g., illness, psychopathology, parenthood). At CHOIR, Claire is the lead coordinator for a dyadic mind-body intervention that aims to prevent chronic emotional distress in patients with an acute brain injury and their family caregivers. Claire is thrilled to be a part of the Gratitude Project and looks forward to applying a Dynamic Dyadic Systems approach to investigate the most effective ways to express gratitude among romantic partners.
Vanessa Samyü Luu is currently completing her master’s degree at the University of Basel, specialising in personality and developmental psychology. In her Master's project, she is part of the PINIE study, which aims to investigate long-term personality changes through everyday experiences. She is generally very interested in the development of children as well as in the topic of romantic relationships. Currently, she is writing her master’s thesis where she is specifically interested in how closeness discrepancies in romantic relationships are related to relationship satisfaction. Vanessa is excited to be part of the Gratitude Project and looks forward to further exploring the world of gratitude Luu