Gratitude Questionnaire – 6

What it measures

Measures the disposition to experience gratitude — the tendency to recognise and appreciate the positive in life, to feel grateful for benefits received from others, and to respond to such benefits with gratitude. Captures gratitude intensity, frequency, span, and density. Brief and freely available.

Response format

Likert (1–7, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Representative items

• I have so much in life to be thankful for.
• If I had to list everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list.
• When I look at the world, I don't see much to be grateful for. (R)
• I am grateful to a wide variety of people.
• As I get older I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events, and situations that have been part of my life.

Usage notes & scoring

(R)=reverse-scored (items 3 and 6). Freely available from Michael McCullough. Higher scores = greater dispositional gratitude. Used as an individual difference moderator in prosocial behaviour, wellbeing, and positive emotion research. Brief enough for inclusion in large survey batteries.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

McCullough, M.E., Emmons, R.A., & Tsang, J.A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112–127.

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