Specificity of the Best Possible Self intervention for increasing optimism: Comparison with a gratitude intervention

The present study compared the effects of a one week best possible self intervention and a one week gratitude intervention on life satisfaction and optimism. We hypothesized that both interventions would lead to similar increases in life satisfaction, but that only the best possible self intervention would increase optimism. The results partly confirmed the hypotheses: only the best possible self intervention led to increased optimism immediately after the intervention period, which further increased one week after completion of the intervention. However, the best possible self intervention was also more effective in increasing life satisfaction than the gratitude intervention. Whereas the increase in life satisfaction in the best possible self intervention was significantly different from the control intervention, this was not the case in the gratitude condition. We conclude that the best possible self intervention is an effective exercise if one aims to increase optimism