Cited by 1,698Emotions and Moral BehaviorPsychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionPsychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

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Is gratitude a moral affect?

McCullough, Michael E., Kilpatrick, Shelley D., Emmons, Robert A., Larson, David B.·2001·Psychological Bulletin

DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249

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Abstract

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.

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“It correlates positively with life satisfaction, optimism, and prosocial behaviour, and correlates negatively with depression and anxiety (McCullough, Kilpatrick, Emmons, & Larson, 2001 ).”
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“Gratitude has been conceptualized as a prosocial and moral affect and disposition (McCullough et al. 2001).”
Background
Cooperation: The roles of interpersonal value and gratitude
Smith, A., Pedersen, E. J., Forster, D. E., McCullough, M. E., & Lieberman, D. (2017) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2017.08.003 · Cited by 98
Self-citation
Attributing autonomous versus introjected motivation to helpers and the recipient experience: Effects on gratitude, attitudes, and well-being
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“Though ‘good’ feelings may arise after any enjoyable interaction, gratitude reflects admiration and joy in the relationship (Ortony et al. 1988) that is distinct from a general sense of positive affect (McCullough et al. 2008) and from any feelings of obligation toward the helper ( McCullough et al. 2001 ).”
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“Gratitude is considered a subjective feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for life and is usually regarded as a pleasant feeling that occurs when an individual receives a favor or beneﬁts from others (McCullough et al. 2001).”
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“Thus, gratitude differs from other positive emotions in that serves as a moral motive, impelling people to engage in positive social behavior (e.g., McCullough et al., 2001).”
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“Gratitude can be elicited on many occasions when one feels benevolence or altruism (McCullough et al., 2001).”
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“These, and similar efforts like them, take advantage of the fact that gratitude is seen as a virtue in every culture and society (Komter 2004; McCullough et al. 2001), and presumably generates positive feelings toward the sponsor of the message.”
Gratefulness and subjective well-being: Social connectedness and presence of meaning as mediators.
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You Didn’t Have to Do That
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Four experiments on the relational dynamics and prosocial consequences of gratitude
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The effects of different, discrete positive emotions on electronic word-of-mouth
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Authors: McCullough, M. E., Kilpatrick, S. D., Emmons, R. A., & Larson, D. B.
Affiliations: Southern Methodist University (US)
University of California, Davis (US)
ORCID: McCullough, Michael E.
Larson, David B.
Venue: Psychological Bulletin
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2001-03
Volume: 127
Issue: 2
Pages: 249-266
ISSN: 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
1939-1455
DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249
OpenAlex: W2014281368
Cited by: 1,698
References: 143
Citations by year: 2026: 76 · 2025: 123 · 2024: 103 · 2023: 117 · 2022: 137 · 2021: 131 · 2020: 125 · 2019: 105 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 82 · 2016: 92 · 2015: 92 · 2014: 90 · 2013: 69 · 2012: 48
FWCI: 15.38
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
Keywords: gratitude, moral emotions, prosocial behavior, empathy, guilt, moral cognition, personality factors
MeSH terms: Affect, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Models, Psychological, Morals, Motivation, Social Behavior

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Is gratitude a moral affect?

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