The Impact Of Gratitude On The Meaning Of Life Among High School Students:The Chain-mediated Effect Of Cognitive Reappraisal And Basic Psychological Needs

The sense of meaning in life refers to the perception and cognition of the meaning and value of life deep within the human psyche.Individuals with a higher sense of meaning in life tend to have a greater sense of purpose and direction,and are more enthusiastic and motivated in life,resulting in greater health and happiness.Gratitude is an important concept in positive psychology,referring to the expression of appreciation and thankfulness for things that one possesses.Gratitude can promote positive emotions and behaviors,increase social support and relationships,enhance self-esteem and confidence,and improve physical and mental health.Using the Middle School Students’ Sense of Gratitude Scale,Cognitive Reappraisal Scale,Basic Psychological Needs Scale,and Purpose in Life Scale,349 high school students were surveyed through questionnaire surveys,statistical analysis,and gratitude intervention experiments to examine the correlation between gratitude and sense of meaning in life,as well as whether cognitive reappraisal and basic psychological needs played a mediating role between gratitude and sense of meaning in life.The conclusions of this study can guide educators to encourage students to adopt a grateful attitude towards life,and to enhance their sense of meaning in life through cognitive reappraisal strategies and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs,while also providing new directions for psychological interventions.The specific results are as follows:(1)Gratitude is significantly positively correlated with the sense of meaning in life.(2)Cognitive reappraisal and basic psychological needs mediate the relationship between gratitude and the sense of meaning in life in a chain mediation model.(3)In the chain mediation model of gratitude-cognitive reappraisal-basic psychological needs-sense of meaning in life,all path coefficients are significant.(4)Gratitude intervention(gratitude recall)can enhance the sense of meaning in life.