# GratePic mHealth App Feasibility Study

> **NIH NIH R43** · GRATEPIC, INC. · 2020 · $219,569

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of GratePic, a mobile health (mHealth) application
dedicated to helping users enhance gratitude. A large body of empirical research indicates a strong association
between gratitude and psychological well-being, to include: reduction in depressive symptoms, a decrease in
suicidal ideations, an increased sense of meaning in life, and less aggressiveness with more pro-social
behavior. The most common technique for increasing gratitude is the text gratitude journal, where individuals
write down things for which they are grateful. While the traditional text gratitude journal is an accepted and
proven technique for cultivating gratitude, there are significant limitations with this intervention. We propose
that images are a better medium for the gratitude journal. GratePic is a gratitude journal of images – a social
network where users can cultivate gratitude in their daily lives. GratePic combines a picture with gratitude in
order to form a "gratepic"; an image representing appreciation for what is valuable and meaningful to the user.
We will use a RCT design to assess the relationship between GratePic and gratitude, well-being, depressive
symptoms, positive affect, gratitude fatigue, and user engagement. We expect images representing gratitude
will elicit a strong positive response from the user, and we also expect the social network feature will enrich the
gratitude journaling process for the user and provide a more engaging environment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9775971
- **Project number:** 1R43NR018622-01
- **Recipient organization:** GRATEPIC, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Lawson Arrington
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $219,569
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-27 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9775971

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9775971, GratePic mHealth App Feasibility Study (1R43NR018622-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9775971. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*