Three good things, made easy to keep
Three good things is one of the best known exercises in positive psychology. Each evening you write down three things that went well and, for each one, why it happened. Gratitude is an app built around it, with one change: you can say your three out loud.
Free. No account needed.
Where the exercise comes from
In 2005, Martin Seligman, Tracy Steen, Nansook Park and Christopher Peterson of the University of Pennsylvania tested several short exercises online and published the results in American Psychologist. One of them asked people to write down three things that went well each day, and why, every night for one week.
People who did it reported more happiness and fewer depressive symptoms than a comparison group, and the difference was still there six months later, most clearly in those who kept going on their own. It was one study, and later research has argued about how large the effect is. The exercise has stayed popular anyway, because it is small, free and easy to start tonight.
How to do it
Pick a time near the end of the day. Name three things that went well, big or small; a good coffee counts. For each one, add a line on why it happened or what part you played in it. Do it for a week, then decide whether you want to keep going.
The things do not need to be impressive. The useful part is the looking. A mind that knows it will be asked for three good things tonight starts noticing them during the day.
How the app asks for three
Gratitude asks one question at a time and keeps each answer the moment you say it. Each of the three has its own question, so the list leans toward different corners of the day instead of the same one every night.
Three is the ask, never a cap. Once you have three, the app offers to say another, and a fourth or fifth thing is as welcome as the first. Some days one is all there is, and one is kept just the same.
The week of moons
The home screen shows your week as seven small moons. A day with one thing is a crescent, two is a half moon and three is full. A quiet day is a moon not yet lit, and that is all it is: there is no streak to break, no counter that resets and no message telling you that you missed a day.
On Sunday a short recap reads the week back to you in your own words, and the archive keeps every day you kept, so you can scroll back to a full moon in March and see what made it.
A gratitude list, by voice
Writing three things takes a pen, a notebook and some energy at the end of a long day. Saying them takes less. Answer out loud, or type when talking is not an option, and both land on the same list as text. The free app does all of this with no account, and it never stores audio.
The original exercise also asks why each good thing happened. If you call Luna, the evening call in Premium, you can have her follow each thing with that question, so the why gets said too.
Questions people ask
What is the three good things exercise?
A short practice from positive psychology: each evening, write down three things that went well that day and why they happened. Seligman and colleagues tested it in a study published in 2005.
Do I have to find exactly three?
No. Three is what the app asks for, not a limit. One thing is kept, and a fourth or fifth is welcome.
What happens if I miss a day?
Nothing. That day's moon stays unlit and the next day starts fresh. There is no streak to lose.
Is the app free?
Yes. Saying or typing your three, the week of moons, the archive, the Sunday recap, reminders and export are free with no account. Premium adds Luna's call, backup and sync, and look-backs.