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It's the little things: Everyday gratitude as a booster shot for romantic relationships
Abstract
Gratitude and indebtedness are differently valenced emotional responses to benefits provided, which have implications for interpersonal processes. Drawing on a social functional model of emotions, we tested the roles of gratitude and indebtedness in romantic relationships with a daily-experience sampling of both members of cohabiting couples. As hypothesized, the receipt of thoughtful benefits predicted both gratitude and indebtedness. Men had more mixed emotional responses to benefit receipt than women. However, for both men and women, gratitude from interactions predicted increases in relationship connection and satisfaction the following day, for both recipient and benefactor. Although indebtedness may maintain external signals of relationship engagement, gratitude had uniquely predictive power in relationship promotion, perhaps acting as a booster shot for the relationship.
... Szorosabbá teszi a kötelékeket, így azok intimitását is pozitívan befolyásolja (Gordon, Impett, Kogan Oveis & Keltner, 2012;Lambert, Clark, Durtschi, Fincham & Graham, 2010). A párkapcsolati és házassági elégedettséget továbbá a kölcsönös együttműködés, az összetartozás, a megbocsátás és a társ iránti szeretet érzésének megnövelésével is magyarázzák (Algoe, Gable & Maisel, 2010;Gordon, Arnette & Smith, 2011;Polak & McCullough, 2006;Toussaint & Friedman, 2009). ...
... Mindezek mellett fontos kiemelnünk, hogy a legtöbb szakirodalmi feltevés, vagyis a párkapcsolati elégedettség érzelmi leválással (Skowron, 2000;Skowron & Friedlander, 1998;Spencer & Brown, 2007), önegyüttérzéssel (Neff & Beretvas, 2013) és hálakészséggel (Algoe, Gable & Maisel, 2010;Gordon, Arnette & Smith, 2011;Polak & McCullough, 2006;Toussaint & Friedman, 2009) való pozitív irányú együttjárása tulajdonképpen a "fiatal -differenciálatlan" klasz ter jellegzetes mintázatának következtében nem jelent meg egyértelműen. Ha az eredmények értelmezésénél csak a másik két klaszter profilját vennénk figyelembe, a párkapcsolati elégedettséggel kapcsolatos összefüggések a hálán kívül minden más változó, vagyis a szelf-differenciáció és az önegyüttérzés vonatkozásában is kimutathatóak lennének. ...
... Tekintettel arra, hogy a párkapcsolati elégedettséggel kapcsolatos -nemzetközileg is igazolt -összefüggéseket a szelfdifferenciáció (Skowron, 2000;Skowron & Friedlander, 1998;Spencer & Brown, 2007), az önegyüttérzés (Neff & Beretvas, 2013) és a hála (Algoe, Gable & Maisel, 2010;Gordon, Arnette & Smith, 2011;Polak & McCullough, 2006;Toussaint & Friedman, 2009) vonatkozásában mintánkon nem tárhattuk fel egyértelműen, elképzelhetőnek tartjuk, hogy a különböző életszakaszok vonatkozásában tulajdonképpen más-más természetű elégedettségérzés kutatására vállalkoztunk. Mivel a "fiatal -magasan differenciálatlan" profil nem várt módon az alacsonyabb önegyüttérzés, differenciáltság és hálakészség ellenére is magas szintű párkapcsolati elégedettséget mutatott, sajátosságait érdemes lenne a későbbiekben longitudinális megfigyelések alkalmával egyaránt tovább vizsgálni. ...
Elméleti háttér: A párkapcsolati elégedettség a párok romantikus kapcsolataira vonatkozó átfogó és általános szubjektív értékelését foglalja magában. A különböző nézőpontokat képviselő vizsgálati eredmények mind ugyanabban szolgálnak megerősítésül: a párkapcsolati működés alkotóelemeinek egyediségét, változatosságát támasztják alá. Az elégedettség szempontjából ugyanakkor ritkán vizs-gálnak olyan transzgenerációs folyamatok eredményeként kialakuló jellemzőket, mint amilyen a szü-lőkről való érzelmi leválás. A kapcsolatok szempontjából azonban ennek szerepe kulcsfontosságú, hi-szen meghatározhatja azok minőségét, sikerességét és egyben stabilitását is. Módszerek: Jelen kutatás a magyar lakosság tizennyolc év feletti, önbevallása alapján elkötelezett párkapcsolatban élő szemé-lyeit (n = 533) vizsgálta meg. Magyar mintán elsőként került feltárásra, hogy olyan jellegzetes, együt-tesen ritkán vizsgált változók mentén, mint az érzelmi leválás (szelf-differenciáció), az önegyüttérzés, a hála és a párkapcsolati elégedettség, az egyének vajon milyen működésmintázati modellek felállítá-sát teszik lehetővé. Méréseinket az Érzelmi Leválás Kérdőív, a Hála Kérdőív, az Önegyüttérzés Skála és a Kapcsolati Elégedettség Skála felhasználásával hajtottuk végre. A személyiségek elkülönítését és szisztematikus csoportosítását pedig hierarchikus klaszterelemzés eljárással végeztük el. Eredmények: Az elemzés következtében a "fiatal-magasan differenciálatlan", "a fiatal-differenciált" és az "idős-differenciálatlan" párkapcsolati működésmódok leírására nyílt lehetőség. A legnagyobb mértékű differenciáltságot, önegyüttérzést és hálakészséget mutató "fiatal-differenciált" klaszter (Mdn = 37), szignifikánsan különbözött a fiatal-magasan differenciálatlan (Mdn = 36; U = 15648; Z =-3,118; p = 0,002; r = 0,16) és az idős-differenciálatlan (Mdn = 31; U = 5162; Z =-7,556; p < 0,001; r = 0,44) klasztertől is, így egyben a párkapcsolatával leginkább elégedett klaszternek minősült. Következteté-sek: A három profil összehasonlítása során megállapíthattuk, hogy a legmagasabb szintű elégedett-séget a leválás, az önegyüttérzés, és a hálakészség együttes intenzitása biztosíthatja. Általános ér-vényűnek bizonyult továbbá az a vizsgálati tapasztalat, hogy a szelf differenciáltsági állapota és az önegyüttérzés a párkapcsolati kiegyensúlyozottság szempontjából egyformán meghatározó lehet.
... A su vez, la gratitud tiene implicancias en el funcionamiento social; es decir, en la generación del bienestar comunitario (Lambert et al., 2010;Snyder & Lopez, 2002), pues ha sido considerada como una virtud interpersonal que hace posible una mejor vinculación con los otros (Algoe et al., 2010), que genera conductas prosociales (Grant & Gino, 2010). Asimismo, las personas que puntúan alto en gratitud tienden a ser más religiosas, orientadas y sensibles espiritualmente (McCullough et al., 2002). ...
... Escala de bienestar espiritual (SWBS). Fue diseñada por Paloutzian y Ellison (1982) para medir el bienestar espiritual, está compuesta por 20 ítems que se distribuyen en dos dimensiones: la dimensión de bienestar religioso describe el sentido de satisfacción y la conexión positiva con Dios (1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15, 17 y 19) y la dimensión de bienestar existencial refiere a la satisfacción con la vida y a su propósito (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 y 20). Los ítems presentan un escalamiento de respuesta tipo Likert de 6 puntos que van de totalmente en desacuerdo (1) a totalmente de acuerdo (6). ...
... Bienestar espiritual y su influencia en el perdón, la gratitud y la resiliencia en estudiantes universitarios de Lima (Perú) 8 encontrado que la dimensión de bienestar religioso se asocia a personas con altos niveles de gratitud con orientaciones más religiosas y sensibles espiritualmente (McCullough et al., 2002). Coincidiendo con Eksi et al. (2019), el bienestar espiritual fomenta el crecimiento en el amor, el disfrute por la vida y la paz a través de la búsqueda de una vida satisfactoria y la contribución a los demás para ayudarlos a mejorar su propia salud espiritual, lo que constituye la base de la generación de la gratitud y la asignación de valor a la acción de ayuda recibida (Alarcón, 2014), con implicancias en la generación del bienestar comunitario y la vinculación con otros (Algoe et al., 2010;Lambert et al., 2010). ...
El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la influencia del bienestar espiritual en la gratitud, el perdón y la resiliencia en estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de Lima. Se utilizó un diseño explicativo con variables latentes. La muestra estuvo conformada por 957 estudiantes universitarios (29.5 % varones y 70.5 % mujeres, de 13 universidades (públicas 22.36 % y privadas 77.64 %) de Lima Metropolitana. Se utilizaron la Escala de Bienestar Espiritual (SWBS), la Escala de Disposición al Perdón (TFS), la Escala de Gratitud (EG) y la Escala Breve de Resiliencia (EBR). Entre los hallazgos se encontró que el modelo estimado con el método DWLS permite señalar que el bienestar espiritual tiene efectos directos sobre el perdón, la gratitud y la resiliencia. A su vez, la covarianza entre perdón y gratitud fue .090 (p > .05), entre perdón y resiliencia de .236 (p < .01), y entre gratitud y resiliencia fue igual a .122 (p < .01). Se discuten la implicancias de los resultados.
... Gratitude can help to promote relationship quality for both beneficiary and benefactor (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010Algoe & Haidt, 2009;Gordon et al., 2012). Gratitude can direct the beneficiary to positive qualities, needs, and wishes of the benefactor, and produce intrinsically motivated kind actions and responsive behaviors toward the benefactor; these responsive behaviors can have positive subsequent impacts on relationship quality (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010Gordon et al., 2012). ...
... Gratitude can help to promote relationship quality for both beneficiary and benefactor (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010Algoe & Haidt, 2009;Gordon et al., 2012). Gratitude can direct the beneficiary to positive qualities, needs, and wishes of the benefactor, and produce intrinsically motivated kind actions and responsive behaviors toward the benefactor; these responsive behaviors can have positive subsequent impacts on relationship quality (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010Gordon et al., 2012). Gratitude can also initiate a cycle of positive actions between beneficiary and benefactor in which the beneficiary, who feels grateful, is motivated to find ways to create or strengthen bonds with their benefactor, and in turn the benefactor feels motivated to conduct future prosocial behaviors towards the beneficiary (McCullough et al., 2001). ...
... A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of gratitude interventions revealed that gratitude interventions produced notably higher scores for relationship quality, compared to the neutral condition (Dickens, 2017). Limited empirical studies associated gratitude with relationship enhancement; most experimental studies employed vignette methods or induced gratitude toward a stranger in a laboratory, only a few psychological studies examined the role of gratitude in real, ongoing, dyadic relationships (see Algoe et al., 2010;Ludick & Koen, 2021 for two exceptions). In addition, most studies of the impact of gratitude on relationship quality examined marital or romantic relationships (e.g., Algoe et al., 2010;Gordon et al., 2012); few studies have examined the parent-child relationship (see Nelson-Coffey & Coffey, 2023, for an exception). ...
This study examined the effects of journaling-based interventions on perceived relationship quality (i.e., mother-adolescent interactions and conflict) and gratitude among Chinese adolescents (ages 12–14 years) and their mothers (N = 339 dyads). Mother-adolescent dyads were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., gratitude, affection, and control), and kept a daily journal on assigned topics for 21 days. Participants’ mother-adolescent relationship quality and level of gratitude were measured before and after the 21-day period. The findings showed that both the gratitude and affection interventions had positive impacts on mother-adolescent relationship quality (i.e., more positive mother-adolescent interactions and less conflict) with a small to medium effect size for adolescents but no impact for mothers. Gratitude did not change from pre-to post-intervention. The current study provides some preliminary support for implementing gratitude and affection interventions with Chinese adolescents to promote relationship quality, but suggests that the intervention works better for adolescents than mothers.
... Recognition is de ned as recognizing the value and signi cance of an object, event, or person and establishing an emotional bond with it [28]. Recognition supports an individual's well-being both directly and indirectly through increased spirituality or enhanced social relationships [29]. Studies have shown that recognition develops and maintains interpersonal social bonds and relationships, strengthens trust, and promotes kindness and helpfulness [30]. ...
... That is, recognizing the teacher and giving autonomy for her teaching practices led to the teacher got motivated to improve her teaching skills in her practices. The reason might be that recognition advocates teachers' well-being and autonomy affects teachers' adaptations of new approach and professional development [29]. Consistent with the results of this study, Ertem et al [56] reported that teacher autonomy associated with Turkish teachers' goal orientation. ...
Background
Emotion regulation addresses how individuals regulate and monitor their emotion. Although the role of personal characteristics on emotion regulation has been well studied, there is a need for examination the role of school-contextual variables including support, discipline problems, autonomy and recognition and goal orientation in emotion regulation.
Methods
Data from 242 STEM teachers in fifty middle schools in Turkey were collected through Teacher Emotional Control Scale, Teacher Goal Orientation scale and School Contextual Scale in the spring 2022 semester. A Structural Equation Modelling approach, allows examining the direct and indirect causal relations among variables, was used to address the research questions.
Results
Results of SEM showed that the hypothesized model had an acceptable fit with data. The hypothesized model could be accounted for 52.2% of variance in emotion regulation. Whereas mastery goal orientation positively predicted emotion regulation, performance goal orientation negatively contributed to emotion regulation. School contextual variables were directly related to goal orientation and indirectly emotion regulation through goal orientation.
Conclusion
The socio-cultural environment in the schools are important determinants of how teachers regulate and control their emotions. Moreover, the path coefficients between goal orientation and emotion regulation underscore that what teachers want to accomplish in their work greatly contribute to how they regulate their emotions.
... The present study applied this classification to examine the effects of online support seekers' expressed emotions on peers' responses. Support seekers' positive emotions may also play a significant role in shaping interpersonal interactions (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010. Positive emotions including joy, interest, contentment, and love, This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. ...
... In line with our prediction, empathic concern predicted an increase in seekers' positive emotions. This finding echoes studies showing that empathic responsiveness can bolster positive emotions (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010. Thus, although online support platforms are usually viewed as a means to decrease negative emotions, they may also be used to enhance positive ones. ...
Online peer groups are a popular channel for mental health support, but the evidence for their effectiveness is mixed. The present study focused on empathy to better identify which supporters’ comments regulated seekers’ distress. We also explored how seekers’ emotions may shape supporters’ empathy. Posts (N = 7,646) published on an online peer support platform (“Emotional first aid [ERAN]”) were sourced. Supporters’ empathy (empathic concern, personal distress, exploration, and interpretation) and seekers’ emotional expressions (soft negative, hard negative, and positive) were coded. We hypothesized that (1) empathic concern, exploration, and interpretation (but not personal distress) would predict better seekers’ emotions (lower negative emotions and greater positive ones); (2) support seekers’ soft negative and positive emotions would predict supporters’ empathic concern and cognitive empathy (i.e., exploration and interpretation); but that (3) hard negative emotions would predict supporters’ personal distress. A set of cumulative mixed models revealed that empathic concern predicted more seekers’ positive emotions. However, cognitive empathy predicted more negative seekers’ emotions. Seekers’ soft negative emotions predicted greater expressions of supporters’ empathy (of all types). Finally, seekers’ positive emotions predicted more supporters’ empathic concern and less personal distress, but also predicted less cognitive empathy (i.e., exploration). A secondary analysis found that this pattern of results differed to some extent as a function of the supporters’ role as anonymous peers or the professional moderator. These findings suggest that empathy is a key component in online mental support platforms and that it may make online interactions more effective through emotional regulation.
... Las personas que expresan su gratitud entre sí tienden a estar más dispuestas a perdonar a los demás y son menos narcisistas (39). Dar gracias a quienes te han ayudado fortalece las relaciones y promueve la formación y mantenimiento de estas, así como la conexión y satisfacción de los lazos sociales (40). De la misma forma, además de aumentar el bienestar, la investigación en psicología muestran cómo practicar la gratitud, puede reducir los niveles de estrés, disminuir los niveles de depresión y ansiedad (41). ...
Objetivo Describir desde las neurociencias los factores claves para gozar de bienestar y salud cerebral a través de una revisión sistemática de literatura científica. Materiales y métodos investigación de corte cualitativo de revisión sistemática de artículos en las bases de datos de Scopus, ScienceDirect y Google Scholar. La búsqueda incluyo referencias publicadas a partir del año 2006 en idiomas español e inglés que presentaran información científica desde las neurociencias sobre bienestar, felicidad, ejercicio, nutrición y salud cerebral Resultados Un total de 593 referencias fueron recuperadas, de las cuales 62 fueron seleccionadas para su análisis. Se hallaron estudios relevantes y actualizados acerca del estilo de vida de los seres humanos, y el impacto de este en la salud y el bienestar en general. Para ello se tomaron en cuenta documentos en los que se identificaron hábitos, conductas y comportamientos que podrían resultar beneficiosos o perjudiciales para el bienestar en general y en especial para la salud cerebral. Conclusiones El bienestar general y una buena salud cerebral están relacionados con diversos factores biológicos, socioemocionales y culturales, entre los que se destacan la felicidad, el agradecimiento, las relaciones sociales y afectivas, la nutrición, la actividad física y el sueño.
... The extent to which people experience feelings of gratitude has been found to be associated with one's sense of social connectedness (Lee et al., 2015). Emotions of gratitude towards a romantic partner experienced during 1 day have been found to be associated with feelings of connectedness with that partner on the next day (Algoe et al., 2010). Gratitude journal exercises have also been shown to increase connectedness with other people (Kerr et al., 2015) and perceived friendship quality (O'Connell et al., 2018). ...
Nature connectedness can promote pro‐environmental behaviour and psychological well‐being, but little is known about how nature connectedness can be strengthened. Interventions that seek to enhance nature connectedness by promoting direct nature contact may be impractical because urban areas often lack opportunities for interactions with nature in the daily lives of people.
This study examines the effects of a gratitude journal exercise on nature connectedness, psychological well‐being, and engagement in wildlife gardening. Participants (N = 114) were either asked to write down daily three things relating to nature that they were grateful for over a 14‐day period or they were assigned to one of two control groups (a traditional gratitude condition and an activity list condition).
Compared to the two control groups, there were no significant differences in any of the outcome variables during the 14‐day period and at 1‐week and 3‐month follow‐ups. However, significant increases in all those outcome variables emerged independent of the group. Qualitative data analysis suggests that the journal exercise promoted increases in the outcome variables by generating self‐knowledge as well as positive emotions and attitudes. Moreover, participants noted that the journal activity made them think about nature in new ways, presumably through answering daily survey questions on nature connectedness.
We suggest that the mere activity of regularly reflecting on one's relationship with nature may increase nature connectedness. Interventions that encourage people to contemplate the interconnectedness between themselves and nature could be a viable strategy to strengthen human–nature relationships, especially in urban areas that lack opportunities for interactions with nature. The findings of this study can inform future research concerned with the processes of strengthening nature connectedness and the design of interventions that employ nature‐based journal exercises.
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... First, in relationship counseling and therapy, our findings indicate that gratitude and perceived partner responsiveness can significantly enhance relationship satisfaction. Therapists can incorporate gratitude exercises to help couples improve their positive perceptions of each other 78 and teach active listening and empathetic communication skills 79 . Therapists should also pay special attention to balancing the dynamics of power between partners. ...
There is a gap in whether relationship power affects the association between gratitude and relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. Based on the relationship maintenance model and the social distance theory of power, the present study adopted a digital questionnaire design on an online platform to test the mediating role of perceived partner responsiveness between gratitude and satisfaction as well as the moderating role of relationship power. A total of 825 subjects (Mage = 27.2, SD = 10.6; female 46.9%) who had been in romantic relationships for more than six months participated in this study. Overall, the results of the moderator–mediator model indicated that, compared to individuals with low levels of relationship power, the relationship between gratitude and perceived partner responsiveness as well as that between perceived partner responsiveness and relationship satisfaction was weaker among those with high levels of power. These findings are revealing for interventions designed to promote satisfaction between couples with power imbalances.
... Find-remind-bind theory has traditionally focused on dyads, emphasizing how expressions of thanks shape the relationship between expresser and recipient (Algoe et al., 2010). More recently, This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. ...
Gratitude expressions have received growing attention from scholars, with research emphasizing its many positive effects on expressers, recipients, and witnesses. Although our knowledge of gratitude expressions’ benefits is accumulating, our understanding of its limits is less developed. In this article, we ask when employees’ expressions of gratitude toward their leaders positively influence witnesses’ perceptions of them, and when they do not. Across three studies including two multiwave surveys and an experiment, we find that expressed gratitude strengthens witnesses’ perceptions of expressers’ prosocial identities, especially when the leader is believed to be deserving of gratitude. Study 1 examines leader competence as an indicator of deservingness in a sample of leaders and employees in a manufacturing context. Studies 2 and 3 use survey and experimental methods to directly establish leader deservingness as a mechanism of the competence moderator and explore warmth as an additional component of employees’ deservingness perceptions. All three studies show how gratitude expression ultimately shapes witnesses’ tendencies to help expressers and seek feedback from them.
... These findings align with prior research about possible gender differences in the appraisal of a benefit and the emotional response to it. For example, Algoe et al. (2010) found a stronger link between perceived thoughtfulness and gratitude for women in romantic couples than for their male partners; this finding may be associated with the general tendency for women to be more sensitive to interpersonal cues than men. These gender differences in the role of partner's strengths perceptions also align with findings that for men in heterosexual relationships, idealizing their partner (i.e., perceiving her as possessing more strengths than she thinks she possesses) was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction (Lavy et al., 2016). ...
Recognizing strengths in romantic partners is associated with relationship quality. However, is mere recognition sufficient, or does genuine appreciation play a more pivotal role? We address this question in a mixed-methods study comprising 90 heterosexual couples, randomly allocated into one of three groups: (1) intervention: six weekly 20-minute sessions of mutual appreciation of partners’ strengths used during the week; (2) placebo control: six weekly sessions focused on mutual sharing of paired interactions, and (3) no-treatment control. Participants completed questionnaires measuring marital satisfaction and burnout before, immediately following, and a month following the 6-week intervention. Additionally, before and after the intervention, participants rated two perceptions of partner strengths: (1) the benefits (the utility and effectiveness associated with their use) and (2) the costs (potential drawbacks of their use). The main analyses showed no significant effect of the intervention. However, a non-significant trend was observed among women, but not men, in the intervention group between the initial and post-intervention evaluations of benefits. Qualitative analysis revealed that compared with men, women were significantly more attributed with strengths of social intelligence and love and were nearly twice as likely as men to express appreciation for their partners’ strengths-based behaviors directed toward them. Whether due to women being more attuned to these actions or men being more inclined to demonstrate strengths to their wives, women reported accruing greater benefits from their partners’ strengths than men. Overall, this study emphasizes the contribution of behavioral-based appreciation for the partner’s strengths in enhancing relationship quality, particularly for women.
... In line with the relational function of gratitude, previous studies have also extensively underscored relational concerns as a cognitive appraisal in eliciting gratitude. This suggests that gifts should be perceived as genuinely benevolent and caring to trigger gratitude and further foster social connections (Algoe et al., 2010;Fredrickson, 2004;Peng et al., 2018;Tsang, 2006;Watkins et al., 2006). When the giver aims to cultivate social bonds through gift-giving, the gift should go beyond mere instrumental value and effectively demonstrates an understanding and appreciation of the interests, needs, and preferences of the receiver. ...
... The narratives of the family caregivers interviewed in our study expanded what is known about gratitude from research findings among general adult populations. For example, family members in the present study reflected the connection between gratitude and indebtedness documented by Algoe and researchers (Algoe et al., 2010). Multiple family members reflected on gratitude for the love shown by their person with Alzheimer's in the past, making them feel indebted and motivating them to engage in caregiving. ...
... Impett, Gable, and Peplau (2005) found the significant positive relationship among approach motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and the quality of relationship while inverse relationship among avoidance motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and relationship quality. Algoe, Gable, and Maisel (2010) found the significant positive relationship among gratitude appreciation, connectivity and the relationship satisfaction in both (recipient and benefactor). Men experienced mixture of emotion to benefit receipt than women. ...
... Impett, Gable, and Peplau (2005) found the significant positive relationship among approach motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and the quality of relationship while inverse relationship among avoidance motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and relationship quality. Algoe, Gable, and Maisel (2010) found the significant positive relationship among gratitude appreciation, connectivity and the relationship satisfaction in both (recipient and benefactor). Men experienced mixture of emotion to benefit receipt than women. ...
... Impett, Gable, and Peplau (2005) found the significant positive relationship among approach motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and the quality of relationship while inverse relationship among avoidance motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and relationship quality. Algoe, Gable, and Maisel (2010) found the significant positive relationship among gratitude appreciation, connectivity and the relationship satisfaction in both (recipient and benefactor). Men experienced mixture of emotion to benefit receipt than women. ...
... Impett, Gable, and Peplau (2005) found the significant positive relationship among approach motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and the quality of relationship while inverse relationship among avoidance motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and relationship quality. Algoe, Gable, and Maisel (2010) found the significant positive relationship among gratitude appreciation, connectivity and the relationship satisfaction in both (recipient and benefactor). Men experienced mixture of emotion to benefit receipt than women. ...
... Impett, Gable, and Peplau (2005) found the significant positive relationship among approach motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and the quality of relationship while inverse relationship among avoidance motives for sacrifice, personal well-being and relationship quality. Algoe, Gable, and Maisel (2010) found the significant positive relationship among gratitude appreciation, connectivity and the relationship satisfaction in both (recipient and benefactor). Men experienced mixture of emotion to benefit receipt than women. ...
... To the extent that feeling grateful bolsters positive perceptions of relationship quality, greater perceived connectedness, and stronger feelings of satisfaction, then the result should be reduced loneliness. Similar arguments have been made by Algoe et al. (2008Algoe et al. ( , 2010. A more formal theoretical model that sheds light on the association between gratitude and loneliness is Fredrickson's (2004) broaden-and-build theory. ...
Gratitude is a positive social emotion that involves recognizing that others have brought benefits into one's life. Loneliness, on the other hand, is an unpleasant emotion resulting from a perceived lack of social connectedness. Although previous studies have reported an inverse association between gratitude and loneliness, these studies have not been systematically examined in a single review. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a random‐effects meta‐analysis to examine the association between gratitude and loneliness. Analysis of 26 studies revealed a moderate sized effect (mean Fisher's z transformed correlation, z r = −.406, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −.463, −.349; mean back‐transformed correlation, r = −.385, 95% CI = −.433, −.335). To complement these effect sizes, we calculated a probability‐based common language effect size for correlations. Random‐effects homogeneity testing suggested the presence of effect size heterogeneity. Analyses of both continuous and categorical moderators were non‐significant, indicating that these variables did not influence effect size magnitude. Furthermore, publication bias tests suggested that our results were not influenced by unpublished studies. Finally, we proposed several statistical and clinical recommendations for future research. Regarding the latter, we offered suggestions for modifying gratitude enhancement programs with the aim of reducing loneliness.
... Gratitude has been linked to improved marital satisfaction and general well-being. It is characterised as the recognition and gratitude for the positive aspects of one's existence (Algoe et al., 2010;Lambert et al., 2011). A happy feeling that may or may not come out when someone helps someone else is gratitude. ...
This study investigates the complex connections between resilience and gratitude in Nigerian married couples. Robust literature establishes gratitude as a basic human virtue that contributes to a "good life," while resilience is interpreted as a person's ability to adjust to the difficulties they face in life. With 304 married participants, the study uses a quantitative methodology to measure resilience and gratitude using standardised questionnaires. The hypothesis that there is no association between the gratitude and resilience is rejected by the results, which show a strong positive association between resilience and gratitude (r=0.329). Furthermore, the outcomes of the t-test show a significant difference in means, confirming the effect of gratitude on resilience among married Nigerian couples. It's interesting to note that being grateful has additional benefits, such as improving everyday happiness and flexibility. These results add to the body of literature by highlighting the critical role that gratitude plays in marriages, impacting resilience and the overall quality of the partnership. The study emphasises how gratitude has a good energy and can strengthen close relationships with others. Subsequent investigations may explore more thoroughly the mechanisms by which gratitude enhances relationship dynamics, providing valuable perspectives for therapeutic therapies and relationship-building initiatives. All things considered, this study has important ramifications for strengthening resilience and gratitude among married couples in Nigeria.
... When individuals perceive support from others, they can express gratitude for the presence of these individuals in their lives. Social support can stimulate feelings of gratitude and appreciation for those around them, thereby enhancing both gratitude and psychological well-being (Algoe et al., 2010). Moreover, social support and gratitude have implications not only for individual psychological well-being but also for social well-being and interpersonal relationships. ...
People living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV) frequently encounter adverse circumstances, including depression and feelings of inadequacy. The stigma associated with their condition often leads to feelings of shame, isolation, and a diminished zest for life. These adverse conditions are known to significantly impact the psychological well-being of PLHIV. This study seeks to scrutinize the relationship between emotional intelligence and social support is mediated by gratitude. The research was carried out in East Kalimantan Province. A quantitative methodology was employed in this investigation. The study encompassed PLHIV who receive support from the Mahakam Plus Community Initiators in Samarinda, Indonesia. The data collection process involved four distinct questionnaires, focusing on emotional intelligence, social support, gratitude, and psychological well-being. In analyzing the gathered data, a path analysis technique was employed. The research findings revealed that gratitude plays a pivotal role as a mediating factor capable of bridging the relationship between social support on psychological well-being and mediating the influence of emotional intelligence on psychological well-being. The model of psychological well-being among PLHIV in this study aligns closely with empirical data. This alignment is evidenced by a standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) value of 0.100, a Q value greater than zero, and a model goodness-of-fit (GoF) score of 0.483. Moreover, the study uncovered that emotional intelligence, social social support, and gratitude exert a positive and statistically significant influence on psychological well-being. The study underscored the critical role of gratitude as a mediating variable. The implications of these findings in terms of potential strategies and interventions for enhancing the psychological well-being of PLHIV are thoroughly discussed.
... Also, according to the character strengths theory (Park et al., 2004), gratitude can inspire people to behave in line with their authentic selves and foster autonomy fulfillment. In addition, the Find-Bind-Remind theory (Algoe et al., 2010) emphasizes the function of gratitude in establishing, preserving, and enhancing connections; thus, gratitude may aid in raising the degree of relatedness satisfaction (Kashdan et al., 2009). All in all, gratitude at work may be related to the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. ...
The relationship between gratitude and many positive outcomes (e.g., work engagement) has been demonstrated, but less is concerned with gratitude in work environments. Thus, it is unclear of whether and how gratitude at work is related to work engagement. To fill the gap, this study examined the impact of gratitude at work on work engagement from the self-determination theory perspective. A total of 536 employees in China took part in the study and were asked to respond to a series of questionnaires consisting of the Gratitude Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and Basic Need Satisfaction at Work Scale. The results found that gratitude at work was positively associated with work engagement. Furthermore, basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the influence of gratitude at work on work engagement. Our findings enrich relevant research on gratitude at work, substantiate a possible mediating mechanism (i.e., basic psychological needs satisfaction) linking gratitude at work and work engagement, and suggest theoretical and practical implications as well as possible future research directions.
... In fairness, this scholarly disparity reflects a relative, not an absolute, difference in emphasis. Psychologists have engaged in some conceptual and empirical work on the morality of gratitude (Gulliford & Morgan, 2021), such as the moral functions of gratitude (Mccullough et al., 2001), the prosocial consequences of gratitude (Ma et al., 2017), and the effects of gratitude expressions on relationship partners (Algoe et al., 2010(Algoe et al., , 2013. However, the preponderance of theorizing and research conducted by psychologists remains focused on the psychosocial benefits for people experiencing and expressing gratitude (Cregg & Cheavens, 2021;Emmons & Mishra, 2011;Kirca et al., 2023;Portocarrero et al., 2020;Wood et al., 2010). ...
Positive psychology scholarship has been criticized for prioritizing individuals’ personal well-being over moral concerns. Therefore, using the example of gratitude, we offer a corrective to this imbalance by articulating a moral vision for the psychology of gratitude. Specifically, we propose the contextualist morality model of gratitude to integrate philosophical, conceptual, and empirical insights on the interface of morality and gratitude. Within this model, we offer a contextualist view by situating gratitude within a constellation of other related virtues. We explicate the moral bases, moral sensitivity, and moral functions of gratitude. First, we identify three moral virtues that facilitate the development of gratitude—humility, empathy, and altruism. Second, we address how moral concerns shape people’s experience of gratitude and their judgments of the appropriateness of gratitude. That is, the extent to which people feel grateful to others and believe it is appropriate to be grateful is informed by moral concerns, such as perceptions of the benefactor’s morality.
Third, we articulate the moral consequences of experiencing and expressing gratitude. Building on McCullough et al.’s (2001) moral affect theory, which posits that gratitude is a moral barometer, motivator, and reinforcer, we propose that gratitude also functions as a moral cultivator of other prosocial virtues (e.g., forgiveness), a moral regulator (restraining immoral and uncivil behaviors), and a moral blessing (conferring goodness via a sense of mattering on gratitude recipients). We conclude with suggestions for future research and practice based on the contextualist morality model.
... When considering gratitude list content, an interpretation of Algoe's (2012)find-remind-and-bind theory would suggest that listing relationship-related items may be associated with higher gratitude. Indeed, this may be one of the major reasons why gratitude manipulations ''work'' and boost well-being: people who experience higher gratitude in relationships are especially satisfied in them, which might increase well-being (Algoe et al., 2008(Algoe et al., , 2010. Likewise, many of the other things people are traditionally grateful for are also associated with greater well-being. ...
Gratitude lists, well-being interventions in which participants list things that they are grateful for, have recently grown in popularity. However, being tasked with generating longer gratitude lists might backfire and be associated with less felt gratitude. Furthermore, the content of these gratitude lists is rarely examined. In three studies of 3,936 participants, people assigned to shorter length conditions (three items) were relatively comparable in gratitude and life satisfaction to those assigned to longer list conditions (six and 12 items), although an exploratory analysis revealed that failure to list enough gratitude items for a given condition was associated with lower well-being. These results provided evidence that ease-of-retrieval effects may not play a strong role in the efficacy of gratitude lists. Those who listed particular content items (e.g., close relationships and health) were higher in post-intervention gratitude and well-being than those who did not.
... In the present study, although we found that daily gratitude could not statistically predict daily well-being in emerging adults, their positive direction between them is consistent with existing studies in college students (Nezlek et al., 2017(Nezlek et al., , 2019Thrash et al., 2010) and romantic partners (Algoe et al., 2010). Notably, our results indicated that daily gratitude had a medium effect size (Cohen' d = 0.31) on daily well-being, which means the results had the psychological significance. ...
... Experimental studies show that gratitude may improve prosocial behaviour (Bartlett et al., 2012;DeSteno et al., 2010); the formation and quality of relationships (Algoe et al., 2008); and satisfaction in relationships (Algoe & Zhaoyang, 2016). Another study on the relationships of cohabiting heterosexual couples discovered that feeling grateful for acts of kindness forecasted both partners feeling more connected and satisfied with their relationship the following day (Algoe et al., 2010). claimed that many of these links may be unique, as gratitude can explain variance in the outcome after controlling for 50 of psychology's most studied traits; implying that gratitude can make a genuine contribution to the literature on well-being without merely recreating or rebranding an established construct (Wood & Tarrier, 2010). ...
... Finally, a person who treats his partner with compassion may experience greater happiness and satisfaction. Women with high self-compassion, on the other hand, could create an appreciation for each other by acknowledging their partner's shortcomings, which in turn could lead to more satisfying relationships (Algoe et al., 2010;Gordon et al., 2012). Similarly, self-compassion also facilitates greater social support and encourages interpersonal trust (Crocker & Canevello, 2008). ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate Iranian women’s experiences of the consequences of self-compassion as an intrapersonal source in marital relationships.The descriptive-interpretive qualitative method was adopted in this study. In the first step, we used the self-compassion scale to select a sample of 15 women (Mean Age = 47.66 years, SD = 2.46 years). In the second step, semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study suggested that self-compassion can bring cognitive, emotional, and behavioral resources to women in a marital relationship. Based on thematic analysis, the experiences of compassionate women in marital relationships were classified into three main themes and nine sub-themes: favorable behaviors (forgiveness, respect, and empathy), cognitive resources (optimism, cognitive emotion regulation, acceptance of own and partner imperfections), and positive feelings and emotions (happiness, safeness, satisfaction). Results imply that self-compassion may involve a set of positive intrapersonal self-resources containing a plethora of cognitive, affective, and behavioral benefits that may help achieve, maintain, and consolidate interpersonal relationships such as marital relationships.
... Regarding pro-relational sentiments, the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotion (Fredrickson, 1998) and the find-remind-and-bind theory of gratitude (e.g., Algoe et al., 2008) highlight how positive emotions can enhance people's social bonds. Empirical evidence indicates that expressing positive emotions (e.g., gratitude; Algoe et al., 2010) and sharing positive thoughts when talking about negative events (e.g., Capps & Bonanno, 2000) positively predict interaction partners' pro-relational sentiments (see Walsh & Forest, 2021, for additional citations;Path C). And there is ample evidence that prorelational sentiments predict enhanced support (Path D)-for example, providers' feelings of warmth and compassion for seekers positively predict their responsive support provision (Winczewski et al., 2016). ...
Receiving high-quality, responsive support in times of distress is critical but difficult. In a theoretical review, we previously proposed a process model that explains why support-seekers’ positive expressivity can elicit—but may sometimes suppress—supportive responses from partners (providers) within distress-related contexts. In the current work, we aimed to test direct and indirect pathways linking seeker’s positive expressivity in negative disclosures to provider’s support while addressing notable gaps in the existing literature. Studies considered seeker-expressed positivity as broad, unitary construct (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and explored different types of positivity (Studies 1, 3, and 4): partner-oriented positivity (e.g., gratitude), stressor-oriented positivity (e.g., optimism), and unspecified positivity (e.g., pleasant demeanor). In behavioral observation studies of romantic couples (Studies 1 and 4), seeker-expressed positivity in negative disclosures positively predicted provider responsiveness, even when controlling for seeker-expressed negativity and other plausible third variables. Online experiments with manipulations of seeker-expressed positivity (Studies 2 and 3) yielded causal evidence of positivity’s direct support-eliciting effects. Considering positivity types, partner-oriented positivity and stressor-oriented positivity showed the most robust support-eliciting potential; unspecified positivity also appeared valuable in some contexts. Evidence for several of the model’s indirect pathways emerged in correlational (Study 4) and experimental (Studies 2 and 3) work, providing insights into support-eliciting and support-suppressing mechanisms through which positivity operates. These findings underscore support-seekers’ active role in obtaining support, highlight the value of positive expressivity for eliciting high-quality support, and lay the groundwork for further research on positive expressivity’s effects in support-seeking contexts.
... To maximize the potential benefits of Agapé, the content of the app drew heavily upon findings from the couples and marital literatures. Thus, we developed and piloted over 4,000 daily prompts over the last 4 years, drawing upon the content domains of previous relationship enhancement programs (see Markman et al., 2022) and research highlighting the importance of processes like gratitude (e.g., Algoe et al., 2010), relationship awareness (e.g., Daks et al., 2021;see Daks & Rogge, 2020 for a review), and perceived partner responsiveness (e.g., Crasta et al., 2021;Reis et al., 2004). Given the benefits demonstrated by assessment-driven interventions like the Relationship Checkup (Cigrang et al., 2022;Cordova et al., 2014), Agapé also incorporated optional, 8-12-min (120 items) wellness checks that provide normative feedback on over 24 dimensions of relationship and individual functioning. ...
Although a range of relationship enhancement interventions have shown benefits, programs involving trained facilitators are difficult to scale and self-directed programs tend to suffer from low rates of adherence (i.e., nonuse/disuse attrition). The present study evaluated Agapé, a relationship wellness smartphone app optimized for broad dissemination through 4 years of persuasive system design driven by user feedback. Agapé builds moments of connection by providing daily prompts to couples and then showing them one another’s answers when both partners have responded. To evaluate Agapé, a single-arm, pilot study followed 405 couples (n = 810 partners; 68% non-Latinx White; 50% female; Mage = 29; 50% cohabiting; 31% married; 33% dissatisfied/distressed) through their first month of using the app. Agapé had high engagement (99%, completing M = 27 daily prompts dyadically) and 88% of couples provided follow-up data. The results among completers supported the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of Agapé, suggesting that partners found the app easy (74%) and enjoyable (93%) to use, particularly if they perceived their partners to be responsive. Most partners saw improvement in their relationships (80%) and in their individual well-being (70%). Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed significant within-person improvement on relationship functioning (decreases in relationship negative qualities and increases in relationship satisfaction, relationship positive qualities, and dedication) and on individual functioning (increases in vitality and quality of life with decreases in psychological distress and depressive symptoms) among completers (Cohen’s ds ranging from |.14 to .42|). Dosage effects demonstrated that gains in relationship quality were stronger for couples completing more daily prompts.
... Support, however, must be calibrated to the partner's needs because too much support can make individuals feel inadequate (Zee & Bolger, 2019), and being highly responsive can be taxing for those under high stress and with some personal vulnerabilities such as avoidant attachment (Smallen et al., 2021). Other routes to resilience include sharing positive experiences (Gable et al., 2004;Gable & Reis, 2010), engaging together in novel, fun activities (Aron et al., 2000;Girme et al., 2014), and expressing gratitude (Algoe et al., 2010), all of which can promote relationship growth and intimacy. follow from pandemic-related stress (Bradbury-Jones & Isham, 2020;Gresham et al., 2021). ...
Embedded within the sociocultural context of romantic relationships are features such as race, culture, neighborhoods, the legal system, and governmental policy. Due to the inherent difficulties with studying large structures and systems, little work has been done at the macro level in relationship science. This volume spotlights the complex interplay between romantic relationships and these structural systems, including varied insights from experts in the field. In turn, more diverse and generalizable research programs on the social ecology of relationships can be developed, helping to facilitate advances in theory. Scholars and students of relationship science in psychology, sociology, communication, and family studies will benefit from these discussions. This title is part of the Flip it Open programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.
... Leader gratitude expression refers to behaviors associated with emotional expression behavior that involve leaders explicitly acknowledging and recognizing others' contributions to their goals (Algoe et al., 2010;Grant & Gino, 2010;Zhu et al., 2023). According to the social information processing theory and the emotions as social information (EASI) model (Van Kleef, 2009;Van Kleef et al., 2010), leader gratitude expression conveys positive social information that is accompanied by a warm sense of appreciation for someone or something as well as goodwill toward the person or thing in question (Belkin & Kong, 2018). ...
The rejection of employees’ suggestions by leaders is a common occurrence in organizations, yet the extant research is unclear regarding how and when leader voice rejection affects employees’ subsequent upward voice. Based on social information processing theory, this paper examines the mediating roles of voice self-efficacy (VSE) and leader-member exchange (LMX) as well as the moderating role of leader gratitude expression in the relationship between leader voice rejection and employees’ subsequent upward voice. We test these hypotheses by conducting a scenario-based experimental study (N = 190) and a survey study of leader − employee dyads (N = 245). We find that leader voice rejection reduces employees’ subsequent upward voice behavior by reducing their VSE and LMX, while leader gratitude expression moderates not only the direct effects of leader voice rejection on employees’ VSE and LMX but also the indirect effects of leader voice rejection on employees’ subsequent upward voice via VSE and LMX. The theoretical implications and practical implications of these findings are discussed, as are directions for future research.
Purpose
Grounded in social cognitive theory, social exchange theory and “cognition-emotion-behavior intention” analysis framework, a theoretical model of cause-related sport marketing (CRSM) affecting consumers’ purchase intentions was constructed through a case study. This model was then empirically validated to confirm CRSM's impact on consumers' purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study embraces a mixed-methods approach that combines both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to investigate the mechanisms through which CRSM influences consumers' purchase intentions.
Findings
The results indicate that: (1) consumers’ perception of CRSM has no direct impact on purchase intentions; (2) consumers’ perception of CRSM directly affects gratitude; (3) consumer gratitude acts as a complete mediator between perceived CRSM and purchase intentions.
Originality/value
These findings shed light on the role of gratitude in CRSM and offer practical guidance for sports enterprises in improving their philanthropic marketing strategies.
Gratitude interventions have been usually less effective for collectivistic cultures compared to individualistic cultures. The first study examined the impact of the target person in the efficacy of gratitude intervention in the Indian context. The second study examined whether conception of gratitude is similar between Indians and Anglo-Americans. In first study, 312 first-year undergraduate Indian students (Mage = 18.64, SD = 0.76) were randomly assigned to three groups. They wrote about a typical day in their life, gratitude toward a particular person of their choice and gratitude toward an immediate family member, respectively. Selected sub-scales of PANAS-X were administered before and after the intervention. In second study, 112 Indian participants (Mage = 27.63, SD = 5.82) and 80 Anglo-American (Mage = 38.48, SD = 11.94) participants took part in a survey whereby they needed to rate the centrality and positivity of some gratitude features. We found expressing gratitude toward an immediate family member was neither effective in increasing positive emotions nor effective in decreasing negative emotions. However, expressing gratitude toward any person of choice was effective in increasing positive emotions as well as decreasing negative emotions. Three prominent themes emerged for gratefulness toward any person, i.e., being an inspiration, providing a perspective in life, and emotional and financial support in success. Providing support to the hypotheses, indebtedness and its associated negative emotions were perceived more positively and more central to the concept of gratitude for Indian participants than Anglo-American participants.
Objectives
We investigated whether receiving greater pain-related instrumental support is associated with poorer psychological well-being among chronic pain patients who report less positive (e.g., grateful) or more negative (e.g., angry) emotional responses to support.
Methods
We conducted regression analyses, utilizing data from two waves of interviews with 152 knee osteoarthritis patients. Three indicators of psychological well-being were examined: depressive symptoms, positive affect, and negative affect.
Results
Receiving greater support was associated with poorer psychological well-being at baseline, as well as higher depressive symptoms and negative affect at the 18-month follow-up, only among patients with low positive emotional responses to support. Furthermore, receiving greater support was related to poorer psychological well-being at baseline only among patients with high negative emotional responses to support.
Discussion
Care recipients’ less positive emotional responses to support may be a risk factor for poorer psychological well-being in both the short- and long-term, when receiving greater support.
This research investigates the relationship between life satisfaction and gratitude among young adults in the Delhi/NCR region. A sample size of 100 participants aged between 18 to 25 years was selected for the study. The study employed the 6G-Q Gratitude scale developed by McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J., and the Life Satisfaction scale by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin to measure gratitude and life satisfaction, respectively. The results of the study revealed a significant correlation between life satisfaction and gratitude among young adults. The findings suggest that higher levels of life satisfaction are associated with greater expressions of gratitude. This study contributes to the understanding of the factors influencing gratitude among young adults, emphasizing the importance of fostering life satisfaction for cultivating a grateful disposition. These findings underscore the potential benefits of interventions targeting life satisfaction to enhance gratitude among young adults
Emotions are typically dual‐faced: they involve both an evaluative and a practical aspect. What is more, an emotion's evaluative and practical aspects tend to exhibit a kind of fit. For example, Sakshi's fear of the bear involves apprehending the bear as a threat to something she cares about, i.e., her wellbeing. And it motivates her to act on behalf of this care: it motivates her to act in ways that protect her wellbeing. Both dimensions of Sakshi's fear are about her wellbeing. Typically, characterizations of gratitude speak to both its evaluative and practical dimensions. Gratitude is described as a way of apprehending the significance of one's benefactor's kindness, and it is said to involve a disposition to thank one's benefactor and to return the kindness. In this article I show that this characterization is incomplete insofar as it leaves us without the resources needed to discern the link between gratitude's two dimensions. I argue that discerning the fit requires an account of gratitude's focus and goal. I urge that the beneficiary's communal relationship with her benefactor is gratitude's focus and that promoting this relationship is gratitude's goal. Both dimensions of a beneficiary's gratitude are about her communal relationship with her benefactor.
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Some mothers report using avoidant coping strategies (minimizing, punishing) in response to their young children’s negative emotion, an aspect of insensitive parenting that places children at risk for emotional or behavioral dysregulation (Fabes et al., 2001) and insecure attachment (De Wolff & van Ijzendoorn, 1997). In prior work, an in-home attachment-based relational savoring (RS) intervention, administered over a month’s time, positively affected maternal emotion and sensitive behavior with young children (Borelli et al., 2023); further, a one-time online RS protocol had greater impacts on emotion and relationship satisfaction for mothers with greater attachment avoidance (Burkhart et al., 2015). However, we do not yet know whether a brief, laboratory intervention impacts highly avoidant mothers’ behavior with their children and not just their self-reports of satisfaction. Here, we examine whether mothers’ endorsement of avoidant coping strategies moderates the effect of an RS versus active control intervention on mothers’ use of emotion-coaching during an emotionally charged conversation with their child. Mothers (N = 122; Mage = 33.42, SD = 5.40) and their preschoolers (Mage = 41.80 months, SD = 4.65; 48.4% female) from diverse backgrounds (41% Latina, 40% White [non-Latina]; 42% under $60,000 annual income) participated. The interaction between condition and level of avoidant coping on mothers’ emotion-coaching behaviors was significant. Mothers high in avoidant coping (top quartile) displayed better emotion-coaching during the emotion conversation if they had been in the RS condition. Savoring may be a valuable tool to promote effective emotion-coaching among parents most prone to avoid their children’s negative emotion.
Although research has shown that employees’ help reception always promotes future help provision, the distinctions between the types of repaying behaviors have been overlooked in organizational research. Thus, for the first time, the present study distinguishes between two types of repaying behaviors—pay-it-back (returning a favor to the help provider) and pay-it-forward (reciprocating a favor to a third party)—in the workplace and investigates their emotional and motivational mechanisms using broaden-and-build and regulatory focus theory. Analyzing three-wave data collected from 562 employees in China, the results show that while receiving help results in both pay-it-back and pay-it-forward behaviors through the mediation of gratitude, through the mediation of indebtedness, receiving help leads only to pay-it-back behaviors. Moreover, employees’ regulatory focus moderates the associations between receiving help and emotions and repaying behaviors. Specifically, at a high promotion focus level, employees tend to experience a higher level of gratitude after receiving help, thus engaging in more pay-it-back and pay-it-forward behaviors; at a high prevention focus level, employees tend to experience a higher level of indebtedness, thus engaging only in pay-it-back behaviors. These findings therefore deepen the understanding of the “help leads to help” phenomenon and its underlying mechanism.
Many studies have found that feelings and expressions of gratitude bring profound benefits to people and relationships. We complicate this view of gratitude. We examine two variables known to impact people’s expectations for relationships: culture (collectivist vs. individualist) and relational distance (close vs. distant), and we find evidence that expressing gratitude conveys that relationship expectations have been exceeded, such that people view it as less desirable to give and receive gratitude for actions that are expected duties of a relationship. In both observational data and real behavior in an experiment, we found that people in a collectivist culture (China) are less likely than those in an individualist culture (America) to express gratitude to close others (Studies 1 and 2). Using hypothetical vignettes, we confirmed this pattern and further found there was no cultural difference for distant others (Study 3). These differences in expressing gratitude reflect differences in underlying feelings of gratitude, as well as differences in expectations of how the target would react to being thanked (Study 4). This cultural difference can be explained by cultural differences in the extent of duties placed on close others (Studies 5 and 6): People in China expect more of their close others. Perhaps as a result, people in China show a weaker preference than Americans for direct expressions of gratitude toward close others, but no difference for distant others (Study 7). Overall, our findings suggest that expressing gratitude may not always be good for close relationships.
Why do people fall in love? Does passion fade with time? What makes for a happy, healthy relationship? This introduction to relationship science follows the lifecycle of a relationship – from attraction and initiation, to the hard work of relationship maintenance, to dissolution and ways to strengthen a relationship. Designed for advanced undergraduates studying psychology, communication or family studies, this textbook presents a fresh, diversity-infused approach to relationship science. It includes real-world examples and critical-thinking questions, callout boxes that challenge students to make connections, and researcher interviews that showcase the many career paths of relationship scientists. Article Spotlights reveal cutting-edge methods, while Diversity and Inclusion boxes celebrate the variety found in human love and connection. Throughout the book, students see the application of theory and come to recognize universal themes in relationships as well as the nuances of many findings. Instructors can access lecture slides, an instructor manual, and test banks.
Gratitude is conceptualized as a moral affect that is analogous to other moral emotions such as empathy and guilt. Gratitude has 3 functions that can be conceptualized as morally relevant: (a) a moral barometer function (i.e., it is a response to the perception that one has been the beneficiary of another person's moral actions); (b) a moral motive function (i.e., it motivates the grateful person to behave prosocially toward the benefactor and other people); and (c) a moral reinforcer function (i.e., when expressed, it encourages benefactors to behave morally in the future). The personality and social factors that are associated with gratitude are also consistent with a conceptualization of gratitude as an affect that is relevant to people's cognitions and behaviors in the moral domain.
The authors first describe individual differences in the structure of the self. In the independent self-construal, representations of others are separate from the self. In the interdependent self-construal, others are considered part of the self (H. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991). In general, men in the United States are thought to construct and maintain an independent self-construal, whereas women are thought to construct and maintain an interdependent self-construal. The authors review the psychological literature to demonstrate that many gender differences in cognition, motivation, emotion, and social behavior may be explained in terms of men’s and women’s different self-construals. Recognition of the interdependent self-construal as a possible alternative conception of the self may stimulate new investigations into the ways the self influences a person’s thinking, feeling, and behaving.
We investigated the relationship between the emotional states of gratitude and indebtedness in two studies. Although many have suggested that these affects are essentially equivalent, we submit that they are distinct emotional states. Following Heider (1958), we propose that with increasing expectations of return communicated with a gift by a benefactor, indebtedness should increase but gratitude should decrease. The results of two vignette studies supported this hypothesis, and patterns of thought/action tendencies showed these states to be distinct. In addition, we found that with increasing expectations communicated by a benefactor, beneficiaries reported that they would be less likely to help the benefactor in the future. Taken together, we argue that the debt of gratitude is internally generated, and is not analogous to an economic form of indebtedness.
McCullough, Kilpatrick, Emmons, and Larson (2001) posited that gratitude prompts individuals to behave prosocially. However, research supporting the prosocial effect of gratitude has relied on scenario and self-report methodology. To address limitations of previous research, this experiment utilised a laboratory induction of gratitude, a method that is potentially more covert than scenarios and that elicits actual grateful emotion. Prosocial responses to gratitude—operationalised as the distribution of resources to another—were paired with a self-report measure of gratitude to test the prosocial effect of gratitude. To investigate positive mood as an alternative explanation, this experiment compared responses of individuals receiving a favour to responses of individuals receiving a positive outcome by chance. A total of 40 participants were randomly assigned to either a Favour or Chance condition. Participants receiving a favour helped more and reported more gratitude compared to participants in the Chance condition.
Communal relationships, in which the giving of a benefit in response to a need for the benefit is appropriate, are distinguished from exchange relationships, in which the giving of a benefit in response to the receipt of a benefit is appropriate. Based on this distinction, it was hypothesized that the receipt of a benefit after the person has been benefited leads to greater attraction when an exchange relationship is preferred and decreases attraction when a communal relationship is desired. These hypotheses were supported in Exp I, which used 96 male undergraduates. Exp II, which used a different manipulation of exchange vs communal relationships with 80 female undergraduates, supported the hypotheses that (a) a request for a benefit after the S is aided by the other leads to greater attraction when an exchange relationship is expected and decreases attraction when a communal relationship is expected, and (b) a request for a benefit in the absence of prior aid from the other decreases attraction when an exchange relationship is expected. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
in our discussion of emotion and dysfunction, we have intimated that emotions are instructive about persons because both emotions and the personality are organized around the problem of surviving, getting along, and flourishing over the life course
begin by addressing the question of what an emotion is / describe our own [the authors'] recent work directed at illuminating what we see as one of the important issues in emotion theory—the role of cognitive appraisal
embed this work in a general model of emotion, which identifies the key variables and processes within a systems framework emphasizing person-environment relationships and cognitive mediation
illustrate how emotion theory makes firm contact with a variety of topics currently being pursued across diverse psychological disciplines, especially personality and social psychology
the adaptational problem and the evolution of emotion / appraisal theory / personality, society, and biology in emotion (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Gratitude is conceptualized as a moral affect that is analogous to other moral emotions such as empathy and guilt. Gratitude has 3 functions that can be conceptualized as morally relevant: (a) a moral barometer function (i.e., it is a response to the perception that one has been the beneficiary of another person's moral actions); (b) a moral motive function (i.e., it motivates the grateful person to behave prosocially toward the benefactor and other people); and (c) a moral reinforcer function (i.e., when expressed, it encourages benefactors to behave morally in the future). The personality and social factors that are associated with gratitude are also consistent with a conceptualization of gratitude as an affect that is relevant to people's cognitions and behaviors in the moral domain.
A model is presented to account for the natural selection of what is termed reciprocally altruistic behavior. The model shows how selection can operate against the cheater (non-reciprocator) in the system. Three instances of altruistic behavior are discussed, the evolution of which the model can explain: (1) behavior involved in cleaning symbioses; (2) warning cries in birds; and (3) human reciprocal altruism. Regarding human reciprocal altruism, it is shown that the details of the psychological system that regulates this altruism can be explained by the model. Specifically, friendship, dislike, moralistic aggression, gratitude, sympathy, trust, suspicion, trustworthiness, aspects of guilt, and some forms of dishonesty and hypocrisy can be explained as important adaptations to regulate the altruistic system. Each individual human is seen as possessing altruistic and cheating tendencies, the expression of which is sensitive to developmental variables that were selected to set the tendencies at a balance ap...
Communal strength refers to a person's degree of motivation to respond to a communal partner's needs. The development and testing of a questionnaire measure of communal strength is described. Study 1 involved item selection. Studies 2 and 3 found that the 10-item communal strength measure taps a construct distinct from behavioral interdependence as measured by the Relationship Closeness Inventory of Berscheid, Snyder, and Omoto (1989) and distinct from liking for the partner. As expected, the measure correlated highly with Rubin's (1970) Love Scale. Studies 4 and 5 found the measure predicted allocation of benefits to peers and reports of giving help to, and receiving help from, friends. Study 6 found that, when answered in relation to the respondent's spouse, the measure predicted the spouse's marital satisfaction, after controlling for the respondent's communal orientation and own marital satisfaction.
Gratitude and indebtedness have often been equated in psychology. Emerging research, however, suggests that these emotions
are experienced differently and occur in response to different situations (Gray, Emmons, & Morrison, 2001). The current set
of experiments investigated the effects of helper intention on grateful and indebted reactions to a favor. Study 1 utilized
scenario methodology to present participants with a favor that was given with benevolent or ulterior motives. Participants
felt significantly more grateful when the helper had benevolent intentions. Reactions of indebtedness did not vary as a function
of helper intention. In Study 2, participants recalled favors that had been done for them for either unselfish or selfish
reasons. Participants reported significantly more gratitude for the favor when they were instructed to recall an unselfish
favor. Levels of indebtedness were not affected by helper intention. Study 3 provided participants with an ambiguous favor
scenario to better assess individuals' natural reactions to receiving help, and replicated the results of Study 1. Together,
these three experiments provide support for differences between grateful and indebted emotions.
The effect of large and small favors on gratitude was tested using a behavioral measure. Participants were 149 undergraduates (120 female, 29 male). Half received raffle tickets for a US10 prize. Some received tickets from another (fictitious) student, and others received tickets by chance. Participants receiving a favor subsequently distributed more tickets to the other student; participants receiving a more valuable favor also distributed more (ps < 0.05). Self-reported grateful motivation predicted distribution better than did indebtedness. Grateful motivation mediated the relationship between favor and distribution (p < 0.05). Results provide validity for a behavioral measure of gratitude, tentatively support favor value as a determinant of gratitude, and further differentiate between gratitude and indebtedness.
B. L. Fredrickson's (1998, 2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions asserts that people's daily experiences of positive emotions compound over time to build a variety of consequential personal resources. The authors tested this build hypothesis in a field experiment with working adults (n = 139), half of whom were randomly-assigned to begin a practice of loving-kindness meditation. Results showed that this meditation practice produced increases over time in daily experiences of positive emotions, which, in turn, produced increases in a wide range of personal resources (e.g., increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, decreased illness symptoms). In turn, these increments in personal resources predicted increased life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms. Discussion centers on how positive emotions are the mechanism of change for the type of mind-training practice studied here and how loving-kindness meditation is an intervention strategy that produces positive emotions in a way that outpaces the hedonic treadmill effect.
PREDICTED THAT FEELINGS OF GRATITUDE ARE A FUNCTION OF THE RECIPIENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF THE INTENTION OF THE BENEFACTOR, THE COST TO THE BENEFACTOR IN PROVIDING THE BENEFIT, AND THE VALUE OF THE BENEFIT. 126 MALE STUDENTS READ VARIANTS OF EACH OF 3 STORY THEMES AND INDICATED THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE ABOVE 3 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES AND ALSO HOW GRATEFUL THEY FELT TOWARD THE BENEFACTOR. EACH OF THE 3 PREDICTED FACTORS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO FELT GRATITUDE. NO INTERACTIONS WERE FOUND. MULTIPLE REGRESSION WAS PERFORMED FOR EACH THEME. VALIDATION ON A HOLD-OUT GROUP WAS .73, .82, AND .71 FOR THE 3 THEMES.
The authors first describe individual differences in the structure of the self. In the independent self-construal, representations of others are separate from the self. In the interdependent self-construal, others are considered part of the self (H. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991). In general, men in the United States are thought to construct and maintain an independent self-construal, whereas women are thought to construct and maintain an interdependent self-construal. The authors review the psychological literature to demonstrate that many gender differences in cognition, motivation, emotion, and social behavior may be explained in terms of men's and women's different self-construals. Recognition of the interdependent self-construal as a possible alternative conception of the self may stimulate new investigations into the ways the self influences a person's thinking, feeling, and behaving.
The authors address 2 questions about embarrassment. First, Is embarrassment a distinct emotion? The evidence indicates that the antecedents, experience, and display of embarrassment, and to a limited extent its autonomic physiology, are distinct from shame, guilt, and amusement and share the dynamic, temporal characteristics of emotion. Second, What are the theoretical accounts of embarrassment? Three accounts focus on the causes of embarrassment, positioning that it follows the loss of self-esteem, concern for others' evaluations, or absence of scripts to guide interactions. A fourth account focuses on the effects of the remedial actions of embarrassment, which correct preceding transgressions. A fifth account focuses on the functional parallels between embarrassment and nonhuman appeasement. The discussion focuses on unanswered questions about embarrassment.
Quantitative and qualitative reviews of the literature on sex differences in facial expression processing (FEP) have yielded conflicting findings regarding children. This study was designed to review quantitatively the literature on sex differences in FEP from infancy through adolescence and to evaluate consistency between the course of FEP development and predictions derived from preliminary theoretical models. Results, which indicate a female advantage at FEP, are consistent with predictions derived from an integrated neurobehavioral/social constructivist model. These findings suggest a need for research examining both neurological maturation and socialization as important factors in the development of sex differences in FEP and related skills. Possible directions for future study are discussed, with emphasis on the need to integrate the infant literature with research focused on older children and adults.
The effect of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions (hassles, gratitude listing, and either neutral life events or social comparison); they then kept weekly (Study 1) or daily (Study 2) records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. In a 3rd study, persons with neuromuscular disease were randomly assigned to either the gratitude condition or to a control condition. The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.
This study examines the relative contributions of giving versus receiving support to longevity in a sample of older married adults. Baseline indicators of giving and receiving support were used to predict mortality status over a 5-year period in the Changing Lives of Older Couples sample. Results from logistic regression analyses indicated that mortality was significantly reduced for individuals who reported providing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors, and individuals who reported providing emotional support to their spouse. Receiving support had no effect on mortality once giving support was taken into consideration. This pattern of findings was obtained after controlling for demographic, personality, health, mental health, and marital-relationship variables. These results have implications for understanding how social contact influences health and longevity.
How do people react to those who have helped them? The authors propose that a recipient's evaluation of a helper's intentions and the recipient's own attitudes about future interactions with the helper depend partly on the recipient's perceptions of how the helper decided to assist: on the basis of affect, of role, or of cost-benefit calculation. When a recipient perceives that the decision was based on affect (i.e., positive feelings about him or her), he or she will be more inclined toward future interaction and reciprocation than if he or she perceives the decision as based on role or cost-benefit calculation. It is proposed that these "decision modes" signal the helper's underlying attitudes about the recipient, which in turn, clarify their relationship. A boundary is also identified: The negative impact of apparent cost-benefit thinking is greatest when the amount of help provided is small. Predictions are confirmed in four studies of actual and experimentally manipulated helping episodes.
The goal of these series of studies was to introduce a new individual difference construct, interpersonal hierarchy expectation (IHE), and to show that it predicts interpersonal perception. IHE means expecting social interactions and relationships to be hierarchically structured. I developed a self-report questionnaire to measure IHE (IHE Scale [IHES]). In 5 studies, 581 undergraduates took the IHES together with an array of self-report personality measures. Three studies included a measure of hierarchy perception. According to prediction, people who expected interpersonal hierarchies were prone to perceive hierarchies in interactions and relationships. The IHES is an easy to apply, short, self-report measure that might prove useful in personnel training and selection as well as in other studies of personality and social behavior.
Positive psychology has flourished in the last 5 years. The authors review recent developments in the field, including books, meetings, courses, and conferences. They also discuss the newly created classification of character strengths and virtues, a positive complement to the various editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (e. g., American Psychiatric Association, 1994), and present some cross-cultural findings that suggest a surprising ubiquity of strengths and virtues. Finally, the authors focus on psychological interventions that increase individual happiness. In a 6-group, random-assignment, placebo-controlled Internet study, the authors tested 5 purported happiness interventions and 1 plausible control exercise. They found that 3 of the interventions lastingly increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms. Positive interventions can supplement traditional interventions that relieve suffering and may someday be the practical legacy of positive psychology.
Close relationship partners often share successes and triumphs with one another, but this experience is rarely the focus of empirical study. In this study, 79 dating couples completed measures of relationship well-being and then participated in videotaped interactions in which they took turns discussing recent positive and negative events. Disclosers rated how understood, validated, and cared for they felt in each discussion, and outside observers coded responders' behavior. Both self-report data and observational codes showed that 2 months later, responses to positive event discussions were more closely related to relationship well-being and break-up than were responses to negative event discussions. The results are discussed in terms of the recurrent, but often overlooked, role that positive emotional exchanges play in building relationship resources.
Two studies examined motivation and content domain as possible influences on sex differences in interpersonal sensitivity. Although much research has found women to excel on tasks measuring interpersonal sensitivity, most of the tasks have measured accuracy in female-relevant domains such as emotion. The present studies measured interpersonal sensitivity, defined as accurate recall of another person, for both female-relevant and male-relevant content domains and also included motivational manipulations intended to influence men and women differently. Study 1 measured accuracy of recalling information in a written vignette about a person, and Study 2 measured accuracy of recalling details about an interaction partner. Both studies supported hypotheses about domain specificity and gender-relevant motivation. However, even for male-stereotypic content and for tasks framed to favor men's motivation to perform well, men's accuracy never exceeded women's.
The effect of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions (hassles, gratitude listing, and either neutral life events or social comparison); they then kept weekly (Study 1) or daily (Study 2) records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. In a 3rd study, persons with neuromuscular disease were randomly assigned to either the gratitude condition or to a control condition. The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.
This paper considers how people react to those who have helped them. We propose that a recipient's evaluation of a helper's intentions and the recipient's own attitudes about future interactions with the helper depend partly on the way in which the helper appears to have decided to assist: on the basis of positive affect, of organizational role, or of cost-benefit calculation. When a recipient perceives that a helping decision was based on affect (i.e., positive feelings about the recipient), she will be more inclined toward future interaction and reciprocation with the helper than if she perceives the decision as having been based on role or cost-benefit considerations. We propose that these "decision modes" signal the helper's underlying attitudes about the recipient, which, in turn, clarify the relationship with the helper. We also examine a boundary condition: modes have their greatest impact when the amount of help provided is small. We confirmed our predictions in four studies of actual and experimentally-manipulated helping episodes. Our results challenge models of reciprocation that focus predominantly on benefit magnitude or felt gratitude.
1. Introduction The study of emotion Types of evidence for theories of emotion Some goals for a cognitive theory of emotion 2. Structure of the theory The organisation of emotion types Basic emotions Some implications of the emotions-as-valenced-reactions claim 3. The cognitive psychology of appraisal The appraisal structure Central intensity variables 4. The intensity of emotions Global variables Local variables Variable-values, variable-weights, and emotion thresholds 5. Reactions to events: I. The well-being emotions Loss emotions and fine-grained analyses The fortunes-of-others emotions Self-pity and related states 6. Reactions to events: II. The prospect-based emotions Shock and pleasant surprise Some interrelationships between prospect-based emotions Suspense, resignation, hopelessness, and other related states 7. Reactions to agents The attribution emotions Gratitude, anger, and some other compound emotions 8. Reactions to objects The attraction emotions Fine-grained analyses and emotion sequences 9. The boundaries of the theory Emotion words and cross-cultural issues Emotion experiences and unconscious emotions Coping and the function of emotions Computational tractability.
This chapter examines the feeling of being grateful. It suggests feeling grateful is similar to other positive emotions that help build a person's enduring personal resources and broaden an individual's thinking. It describes various ways by which gratitude can transform individuals, organizations, and communities in positive and sustaining ways. It discusses the specific benefits of gratitude including personal and social development, community strength and individual health and well-being.
The manner in which the concept of reciprocity is implicated in functional theory is explored, enabling a reanalysis of the concepts of "survival" and "exploitation." The need to distinguish between the concepts of complementarity and reciprocity is stressed. Distinctions are also drawn between (1) reciprocity as a pattern of mutually contingent exchange of gratifications, (2) the existential or folk belief in reciprocity, and (3) the generalized moral norm of reciprocity. Reciprocity as a moral norm is analyzed; it is hypothesized that it is one of the universal "principal components" of moral codes. As Westermarck states, "To requite a benefit, or to be grateful to him who bestows it, is probably everywhere, at least under certain circumstances, regarded as a duty. This is a subject which in the present connection calls for special consideration." Ways in which the norm of reciprocity is implicated in the maintenance of stable social systems are examined.
On the assumption that indebtedness is an aversive state, this study tested the hypothesis that Ss who do not anticipate being able to return a favor are less willing to ask for and receive needed help than Ss who anticipate bieng able to reciprocate. 48 Ss were assigned to one of four cells in a 2 x 2 factorial design, the independent variables being sex and anticipation of reciprocity. All three measures of unwillingness to ask for and receive help yielded data consistent with the hypothesis. There were no sex differences, nor was there any interaction between sex and anticipation of reciprocity.
In this article we outline the history, elements, and variations of functional accounts of emotions. Summarising diverse theories and observations, we propose that functional accounts of emotions: (1) address why humans have emotions; (2) de® ne emotions as solutions to problems and opportunities related to physical and social survival; (3) treat emotions as systems of interrelated components; and (4) focus on the bene® cial consequences of emotions. This conceptual approach to emotion is complemented by several empirical strategies, including the study of emotion dysfunction, the effects of emotions on others, and the relations between emotions and personal and social outcomes. We conclude by considering how functional accounts of emotion vary, including in terms of their level of analysis, speci® city, manner of organisation, and range of focus, and the implications functional accounts have for the study of emotion.
Using the distinction between communal and exchange relationships, it was hypothesized that failure to offer repayment for a favour would create perceptions of exploitativeness and decreases in attraction in exchange relationships but not in communal relationships. To test these hypotheses, subjects were led to expect a communal or an exchange relationship with a confederate. Shortly afterwards, the confederate asked the subject for a favour and subsequently either promised repayment or not. Finally, subjects indicated how exploitative and attractive they perceived the other to be. As predicted, failure to offer repayment increased perceived exploitativeness and decreased attraction when an exchange relationship was expected but not when a communal relationship was expected.
People feel grateful when they have benefited from someone's costly, intentional, voluntary effort on their behalf. Experiencing gratitude motivates beneficiaries to repay their benefactors and to extend generosity to third parties. Expressions of gratitude also reinforce benefactors for their generosity. These social features distinguish gratitude from related emotions such as happiness and feelings of indebtedness. Evolutionary theories propose that gratitude is an adaptation for reciprocal altruism (the sequential exchange of costly benefits between nonrelatives) and, perhaps, upstream reciprocity (a pay-it-forward style distribution of an unearned benefit to a third party after one has received a benefit from another benefactor). Gratitude therefore may have played a unique role in human social evolution.
In this chapter, the authors present a social functional account of emotions that attempts to integrate the relevant insights of evolutionary and social constructivist theorists. The authors' account is summarized in 3 statements: (1) social living presents social animals with problems whose solutions are critical for individual survival; (2) emotions have been designed in the course of evolution to solve these problems; and (3) in humans, culture loosens the linkages between emotions and problems so that cultures find new ways of using emotions. In the first half of the chapter the authors synthesize the positions of diverse theorists in a taxonomy of problems of social living and then consider how evolution-based primordial emotions solve those problems by coordinating social interactions. In the second half of the chapter the authors discuss the specific processes according to which culture transforms primordial emotions and how culturally shaped elaborated emotions help solve the problems of social living. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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This paper reviews the impact of anger on judgment and decision making. Section I proposes that anger merits special attention in the study of judgment and decision making because the effects of anger often diverge from those of other negative emotions. Section II presents an Appraisal-Tendency Framework for predicting and organizing such effects. Section III reviews empirical evidence for the uniqueness of anger's relations to judgment and decision making. Section IV connects the Appraisal-Tendency Framework to associated mechanisms and theories. Drawing on the evidence, Section V presents the question of whether anger should be considered a positive emotion. It also proposes the hypothesis that anger will be experienced as relatively unpleasant and unrewarding when reflecting back on the source of one's anger but experienced as relatively pleasant and rewarding when looking forward. Section VI synthesizes the evidence into a new portrait of the angry decision maker. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The daily diary method was used to examine the daily dynamics of adolescent sleep time, activities, and psychological well-being among an ethnically diverse sample of over 750 adolescents approximately 14–15 years of age. Studying and stressful demands during the day were modestly but consistently associated with less sleep that evening. Receiving less sleep at night, in turn, was modestly but consistently related to higher levels of anxiety, depressive feelings, and fatigue during the following day. In addition, the daily variability in adolescents' sleep time was notable and just as important for the youths' average levels of daily psychological well-being as was the average amount of time spent sleeping each night. A small number of ethnic and gender differences emerged in the dynamics of adolescent sleep, activities, and well-being. Discussion focuses on the importance of examining variability in adolescents' sleep behaviors in order to better understand the implications of sleep for adolescent well-being and development.
Although the perception of available support is associated with positive outcomes, the receipt of actual support from close others is often associated with negative outcomes. In fact, support that is "invisible" (not perceived by the support recipient) is associated with better outcomes than "visible" support. To investigate this paradox, we proposed that received support (both visible and invisible) would be beneficial when it was responsive to the recipient's needs. Sixty-seven cohabiting couples participated in a daily-experience study in which they reported on the support they provided and received each day. Results indicated that both visible and invisible support were beneficial (i.e., associated with less sadness and anxiety and with greater relationship quality) only when the support was responsive. These findings suggest that the nature of support is an important determinant of when received support will be beneficial.
People are often profoundly moved by the virtue or skill of others, yet psychology has little to say about the 'other-praising' family of emotions. Here we demonstrate that emotions such as elevation, gratitude, and admiration differ from more commonly studied forms of positive affect (joy and amusement) in many ways, and from each other in a few ways. The results of studies using recall, video induction, event-contingent diary, and letter-writing methods to induce other-praising emotions suggest that: elevation (a response to moral excellence) motivates prosocial and affiliative behavior, gratitude motivates improved relationships with benefactors, and admiration motivates self-improvement. Mediation analyses highlight the role of conscious emotion between appraisals and motivations. Discussion focuses on implications for emotion research, interpersonal relationships, and morality.
In everyday life, close relationship partners enact behaviors through which they may influence each other. To understand how these exchanges affect partners, previous research has emphasized the enactors' reports, the receivers' perceptions, or the congruence of the two. We developed a strategy based on classic signal detection theory that combined elements from these three approaches in a naturalistic daily experience study. Members of 58 heterosexual dating couples reported daily on their own behaviors and their perceptions of their partners' behaviors. Results showed that an enactor's beliefs about his or her behavior and the perceiver's interpretation combined to affect daily mood and relationship satisfaction. However, different patterns of results emerged for positive and negative behaviors, such that the enactor's perspective accounted for independent effects of negative behaviors. Results show the value of simultaneously considering the perspective of both parties in social interaction.
The ability of the emotion gratitude to shape costly prosocial behavior was examined in three studies employing interpersonal emotion inductions and requests for assistance. Study 1 demonstrated that gratitude increases efforts to assist a benefactor even when such efforts are costly (i.e., hedonically negative), and that this increase differs from the effects of a general positive affective state. Additionally, mediational analyses revealed that gratitude, as opposed to simple awareness of reciprocity norms, drove helping behavior. Furthering the theory that gratitude mediates prosocial behavior, Study 2 replicated the findings of Study 1 and demonstrated gratitude's ability to function as an incidental emotion by showing it can increase assistance provided to strangers. Study 3 revealed that this incidental effect dissipates if one is made aware of the true cause of the emotional state. Implications of these findings for the role of gratitude in building relationships are discussed.