A recent study conducted in Polish schools suggests that attempting to teach gratitude to adolescents may have complex and sometimes unintended consequences regarding online behavior. While a seven-day program designed to foster appreciation successfully reduced overall cyber-aggression, it proved less effective for boys and students with moderate levels of existing gratitude. These findings, published in Scientific Reports, highlight the necessity of tailoring psychological interventions to fit the specific personality traits and social dynamics of the student body.
Cyber-aggression has emerged as a significant public health concern affecting adolescents globally. It is not a monolithic behavior but rather manifests in various forms driven by different motivations. Researchers distinguish between reactive aggression, which is an impulsive response to a perceived threat, and proactive aggression, which is calculated and goal-oriented.
Within these categories, aggression can be further classified as “aversive” or “appetitive.” Aversive aggression arises from negative emotional states such as anger or distress, often serving as a coping mechanism for conflict. In contrast, appetitive aggression is driven by a desire for fun, excitement, or social dominance, where the perpetrator derives enjoyment from the act.
Educators and psychologists have sought effective methods to mitigate these harmful behaviors without relying solely on punitive measures. Positive psychology suggests that cultivating character strengths like gratitude can act as a protective factor. Gratitude is defined as a positive emotional state associated with recognizing and appreciating benefits received from others.
The “broaden-and-build” theory posits that positive emotions like gratitude expand an individual’s awareness and encourage novel thoughts and actions. This expansion allows individuals to build personal resources, such as social connections and emotional resilience. Theoretically, a grateful student should be less prone to hostility and more inclined toward empathy.
Tomaszek Katarzyna from Rzeszow University and Muchacka-Cymerman Agnieszka from Humanitas University aimed to test this theory empirically. They sought to determine whether a short-term classroom intervention could effectively lower rates of cyber-aggression. Additionally, they investigated whether the gender of the student or their baseline disposition toward gratitude influenced the outcome.
The researchers recruited a sample of 548 adolescents from the seventh and eighth grades in Poland. The participants were drawn from primary schools in both urban and rural areas to ensure a mix of backgrounds. The students were assigned to either a control group, which included 399 participants, or an experimental group, which consisted of 149 students.
The experimental group participated in a “Classroom Gratitude Intervention” that lasted for one week. Teachers who had undergone specific training to ensure fidelity to the program delivered the curriculum. The intervention began with educational components, including watching a film about gratitude and discussing the concept in class.
Over the course of the week, students engaged in specific cognitive exercises designed to induce a grateful mood. One such exercise was “counting blessings,” where students identified positive events or aspects of their lives. Another activity involved maintaining a collective “classroom gratitude book,” fostering a shared sense of appreciation among peers.
The students also undertook private gratitude challenges over the weekend to reinforce the lessons learned during school hours. To measure the impact of these activities, the researchers administered the Cyber-aggression Types Questionnaire. This assessment was given to the experimental group one week before the program began and again one week after it concluded.
The results indicated that the intervention was successful in reducing the overall frequency of cyber-aggression among the participants. The most significant reduction was observed in “aversive controlled” aggression. This type of behavior involves planned acts of retaliation or revenge in response to negative feelings.
The reduction in this specific type of aggression suggests that gratitude practices may help students regulate their negative emotions. By focusing on the benevolence of others, adolescents may become less likely to ruminate on perceived slights. This shift in focus appears to dampen the desire to seek calculated payback through digital channels.
However, the study found that the intervention did not reduce all forms of aggression equally. “Appetitive impulsive” aggression, which is characterized by spontaneous mean-spirited acts done for amusement, actually showed a slight increase. This suggests that while gratitude can mitigate anger-based hostility, it may not be effective against aggression motivated by boredom or thrill-seeking.
A deeper analysis of the data revealed significant differences in how boys and girls responded to the program. Girls in the experimental group showed a broad improvement, with reductions in almost all measured types of cyber-aggression. The intervention appeared to resonate well with female students, aligning with prior research on gender socialization.
Adolescent girls are often socialized to value relationships and social harmony, making them potentially more receptive to exercises that emphasize connection. For them, the gratitude activities likely reinforced prosocial norms and provided an alternative to relational aggression. The decrease in hostility was consistent across both impulsive and controlled types for girls.
In contrast, the intervention failed to produce a similar benefit for boys. The male participants in the experimental group did not show a statistically significant decrease in their overall aggression scores. In some specific categories, such as aversive impulsive aggression, their scores actually increased following the program.
The authors suggest that this discrepancy may be rooted in differing social norms and expressions of masculinity. Boys may perceive gratitude, which involves acknowledging dependence on others, as a sign of weakness or indebtedness. In the context of male peer groups, establishing dominance is often prioritized over displaying vulnerability.
Consequently, a classroom setting that forces public expressions of gratitude might conflict with a boy’s desire to maintain social status. If boys view the exercises as incompatible with their identity, they may resist the message. This resistance could manifest as a rejection of the prosocial goals or even a reactionary increase in aggressive behavior.
The study also examined how a student’s initial personality influenced the program’s effectiveness. The researchers divided the students into groups based on whether they had low, medium, or high levels of “gratitude disposition” before the study began. The findings indicated that the intervention was most beneficial for those who started with the lowest levels of gratitude.
Students with a low gratitude disposition experienced the most substantial decrease in aversive cyber-aggression. For these individuals, the intervention likely introduced a novel perspective that they do not naturally adopt in their daily lives. The “halo effect” of suddenly focusing on the positive may have provided a powerful counter-narrative to their usual outlook.
Conversely, students with medium levels of gratitude did not benefit in the same way. The data showed that this group exhibited an increase in both impulsive and controlled forms of aggression after the intervention. This counterintuitive finding implies that the relationship between gratitude training and behavior is not linear.
The authors propose that these students might have experienced a “resistance effect.” Being forced to participate in structured gratitude exercises when they perhaps feel they already possess this trait could generate annoyance. If the exercises felt repetitive or inauthentic, it may have led to frustration that was subsequently vented online.
Students with high levels of gratitude showed little change, likely due to a “ceiling effect.” These individuals already practice appreciation and have lower baseline levels of aggression, leaving little room for improvement. Their established habits of gratitude meant the one-week intervention was simply reinforcing what they already did.
The study highlights that cyber-aggression is often a group phenomenon involving hierarchy and rivalry. Gratitude interventions that take place within the classroom must contend with these existing social dynamics. If a student feels animosity toward their classmates, being asked to express gratitude toward them could feel disingenuous or emotionally taxing.
These results suggest that a “one size fits all” approach to social-emotional learning may be insufficient. While the general trend pointed toward improvement, the negative outcomes for specific subgroups are concerning. Interventions that are effective for girls may need significant modification to be palatable and effective for boys.
The authors acknowledge several limitations that should be considered when interpreting these results. The intervention was relatively brief, lasting only seven days. A program of this duration may not be sufficient to instill long-term behavioral changes or reshape deeply ingrained habits.
Furthermore, the study relied on self-reported data from the adolescents. Students may not always report their own aggressive behaviors accurately, either due to a lack of self-awareness or a desire to present themselves favorably. The use of objective measures, such as observational data or peer reports, would strengthen future investigations.
The imbalance in sample sizes between the control and experimental groups is another technical limitation. The control group was significantly larger, which can impact the statistical comparisons. Additionally, the study was restricted to a specific cultural context within Poland, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other countries.
Future research should explore the effects of longer-term interventions to see if the changes are sustained over time. It would be beneficial to include follow-up assessments weeks or months after the program concludes. This would help determine if the increase in aggression seen in some groups is a temporary reaction or a lasting effect.
Researchers should also investigate mixed methods of inducing gratitude that go beyond verbal or written expressions. Activities that involve concrete actions or reciprocal exchanges might appeal more to boys or students who are resistant to journaling. Understanding the mechanisms behind the “resistance effect” in medium-gratitude students is a priority for refining these programs.
Ultimately, this research demonstrates that while gratitude is a powerful tool, it is not a universal panacea for adolescent misbehavior. The complex interplay of gender, personality, and social motivation dictates how a student receives the message. Effective prevention of cyber-aggression requires nuanced strategies that respect these individual differences.
The study, “Gratitude interventions reduce cyber-aggression in adolescents: gender and disposition effects,” was authored by Tomaszek Katarzyna and Muchacka-Cymerman Agnieszka.
