From wisdom to life satisfaction: Unpacking the mediating role of gratitude

Adolescents’ life satisfaction is an important indicator of subjective well-being and has been associated with better mental health and academic adjustment. This study examined the effect of wisdom on life satisfaction among high school students and tested gratitude as a mediator of this relationship. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed using simple mediation analysis (PROCESS Macro Model 4). The participants were 544 high school students in Semarang, selected through random sampling. Data were collected using validated Likert-type scales measuring wisdom, gratitude, and life satisfaction, all of which demonstrated satisfactory internal reliability. Indirect effects were tested using a bias-corrected bootstrap procedure with 10,000 samples. The findings revealed that wisdom significantly predicted gratitude and life satisfaction, while gratitude also significantly predicted life satisfaction. The indirect effect of wisdom on life satisfaction through gratitude was significant, indicating partial mediation. These results suggest that wisdom contributes to adolescents’ life satisfaction both directly and indirectly by fostering gratitude as an important psychological resource. The study extends the positive psychology literature by clarifying the mechanism linking wisdom and life satisfaction and offers practical implications for school-based interventions aimed at promoting student well-being.