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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Background
Extending a helping hand: How receiving gratitude makes a difference in employee performance during a crisis
Ni, D., Song, L. J., Zheng, X., Zhu, J., Zhang, M., & Xu, L. (2022) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.055 · Cited by 44
The sweet taste of gratitude: Feeling grateful increases choice and consumption of sweets
Schlosser, A. E. (2015) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2015.02.006 · Cited by 41
Whither the Roots? Achieving Conceptual Depth in Psychology of Religion
Hill, P. C., & Gibson, N. J. S. (2008) · Archive for the Psychology of Religion · doi:10.1163/157361208x316944 · Cited by 37
Targeting tissue-specific metabolic signaling pathways in aging: the promise and limitations
Hu, F., & Liu, F. (2013) · Protein & Cell · doi:10.1007/s13238-013-0002-3 · Cited by 39
“, 2003) and increase ROS levels in rat fibroblasts (McCullough et al., 2001).”
Background
Dimensions of grace: Factor analysis of three grace scales.
Bufford, R. K., Sisemore, T. A., & Blackburn, A. M. (2016) · Psychology of Religion and Spirituality · doi:10.1037/rel0000064 · Cited by 41
“Paying it forward” via satisfying a basic human need: The need for relatedness satisfaction mediates gratitude and prosocial behavior
Shiraki, Y., & Igarashi, T. (2018) · Asian Journal Of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/ajsp.12211 · Cited by 37
“In our daily lives, we often feel gratitude, which is necessary for bonding and for smoothing out our interpersonal interactions (McCullough et al., 2001).”
Background
An integrative intervention for cultivating gratitude among adolescents and young adults
Baumsteiger, R., Mangan, S. A., Bronk, K. C., & Bono, G. (2019) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2019.1579356 · Cited by 40
“As a positive emotion, feeling grateful is inherently pleasant and is linked to other positive emotions such as joy and contentment (McCullough et al., 2001).”
Background
When feeling good counts! Impact of consumer gratitude and life satisfaction in access-based services
Chou, C. Y., Leo, C., Tsarenko, Y., & Chen, T. (2022) · European Journal of Marketing · doi:10.1108/ejm-08-2021-0655 · Cited by 40
Understanding the roles of gratitude and social support in posttraumatic growth among adolescents after Ya'an earthquake: A longitudinal study
Zhou, X., & Wu, X. (2016) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.033 · Cited by 38
Laughter and Smiling in 16 Positive Emotions
Hofmann, J., Platt, T., & Ruch, W. (2017) · IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing · doi:10.1109/taffc.2017.2737000 · Cited by 36
“Furthermore, research suggests that gratitude may be expressed through other channels, like the body (for bodily expressions of gratitude see [57]).”
Background
Measuring Gratitude in Germany: Validation Study of the German Version of the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6-G) and the Multi-Component Gratitude Measure (MCGM-G)
Hudecek, M. F. C., Blabst, N., Morgan, B. E., & Lermer, E. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590108 · Cited by 36
Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6)—Exploring Psychometric Properties in India
Garg, N., Katiyar, N., & Mehak, M. (2021) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-021-01419-y · Cited by 36
Feeling the intangible: antecedents of gratitude toward intangible benefactors
Tsang, J.-A. C., Schnitker, S. A., Emmons, R. A., & Hill, P. C. (2021) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2021.1952480 · Cited by 42
“McCullough and colleagues (McCullough et al., 2001, 2008) provided a comprehensive theory of the prosocial functions of gratitude.”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Appreciation that inspires: The impact of leader trait gratitude on team innovation
Li, C., Dong, Y., Wu, C., Brown, M. E., & Sun, L. (2021) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.2577 · Cited by 43
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE WINE TASTING: THE EFFECT OF A TASTING FEE ON OBLIGATION TO BUY
Velikova, N., & Dodd, T. H. (2009) · Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing · doi:10.1080/10548400903356228 · Cited by 36
“Since gratitude is usually considered a positive desirable state associated with contentment, pride, and happiness (McCullough, Kilpatrick, Emmons, & Larson, 2001 ), feelings of gratitude will have a stronger effect under those circumstances where tourists taste wine for free.”
Background
Reflecting on acts of kindness toward the self: Emotions, generosity, and the role of social norms
Exline, J. J., Lisan, A. M., & Lisan, E. R. (2011) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.626790 · Cited by 39
“Generous or supportive acts will often bring rewards or reduce distress, outcomes that should facilitate gratitude (for reviews, see Emmons & McCullough, 2004; McCullough et al., 2001, 2008).”
Background
Whatever Happened to "What Might Have Been"?
King, L. A., & Hicks, J. A. (2007) · Cited by 35
Attachment orientations and dispositional gratitude: The mediating roles of perceived social support and self-esteem
Zhang, L., Zhang, S., Yang, Y., & Li, C. (2017) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.006 · Cited by 35
“First, gratitude is universal and important across different cultures (Cao, 2012; McCullough et al., 2001), but studies on attachment orientations and dispositional gratitude are entirely conducted in Western societies.”
Background
Donate or receive? Social hyperscanning application with fNIRS
Balconi, M., Fronda, G., & Vanutelli, M. E. (2019) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-019-00247-4 · Cited by 37
Health behavior adherence and emotional adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic in a US nationally representative sample: The roles of prosocial motivation and gratitude
Nelson, S. K., O’Brien, M. M., Braunstein, B. M., Mickelson, K. D., & Ha, T. (2021) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114243 · Cited by 36
When and How Tourists Engage in Citizenship Behavior: The Interactive Effect of Trait Gratitude and Positive Resident–Tourist Contact
Tu, H., Zhang, Z., & Jiang, Z. (2022) · Journal of Travel Research · doi:10.1177/00472875221140904 · Cited by 35
“It means that individuals with trait gratitude have the moral cognition to behave in a prosocial manner (McCullough et al., 2001).”
Background

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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