Three good things
Each evening, write three things that went well and why they happened.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Each evening, write three things that went well and why they happened.
- Why it works: Adding the "why" forces a causal explanation, which trains the brain to notice and credit the sources of good outcomes rather than letting them pass unregistered. The negativity bias means bad events are encoded automatically; this practice supplies the deliberate counterweight that good ones do not get for free.
- Evidence: Backed by randomized trials / meta-analyses.
- Avoid: Skipping the "why". Listing three items without the causal sentence turns it into inventory-taking and loses the attributional retraining that does the work.
Why it works
Adding the "why" forces a causal explanation, which trains the brain to notice and credit the sources of good outcomes rather than letting them pass unregistered. The negativity bias means bad events are encoded automatically; this practice supplies the deliberate counterweight that good ones do not get for free.
How to do it
- 1At the end of the day, write three things that went well, however small.
- 2For each, write one sentence on why it happened or your role in it.
- 3Re-read yesterday’s entry before adding today’s to compound the effect.
What the evidence says
RCT / meta-analysisA structured "three good things" exercise is among the better-supported positive interventions, with controlled studies reporting increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms that persisted for weeks to months after the writing stopped.
Honest caveat: Effect sizes are modest and vary by person; some replications are weaker, and benefits fade if the practice becomes a rote checklist.
Common mistake
Skipping the "why". Listing three items without the causal sentence turns it into inventory-taking and loses the attributional retraining that does the work.
IX Coach prompts the "why" behind each good thing and surfaces patterns across weeks, so you see which sources of good in your life are worth protecting.
Practice this with IX Coach →