What happened online when college students become more grateful? An integrative intervention study

Research has remained unclear in its quest to demonstrate whether gratitude intervention impacts online interpersonal behavior (i.e., online prosocial and deviant behavior). We argue that when students purposefully cultivate feelings of gratitude, online prosocial behavior is more frequent while online deviant behavior is more sporadic. The current study examined the efficacy of a 10-day integrative online gratitude intervention among college students in decreasing online deviant behavior and increasing online prosocial behavior that lasted at least 1 month relative to the control condition. Additionally, drawing upon the find-remind-and-bind theory, we propose and test a mediation model linking gratitude intervention with online interpersonal behavior through relational energy. A simple and helpful path is suggested for university educators, whereby gratitude interventions can foster online prosocial behavior and prevent or attenuate online deviant behavior.