A little thanks goes a long way: explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior

Grant, Adam M.; Gino, Francesca

doi:10.1037/a0017935

Cited by 870Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionPsychology of Social InfluenceEmotions and Moral Behavior

A little thanks goes a long way: explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior

Grant, Adam M., Gino, Francesca·2010·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

DOI 10.1037/a0017935

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Abstract

Although research has established that receiving expressions of gratitude increases prosocial behavior, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that mediate this effect. We propose that gratitude expressions can enhance prosocial behavior through both agentic and communal mechanisms, such that when helpers are thanked for their efforts, they experience stronger feelings of self-efficacy and social worth, which motivate them to engage in prosocial behavior. In Experiments 1 and 2, receiving a brief written expression of gratitude motivated helpers to assist both the beneficiary who expressed gratitude and a different beneficiary. These effects of gratitude expressions were mediated by perceptions of social worth and not by self-efficacy or affect. In Experiment 3, we constructively replicated these effects in a field experiment: A manager's gratitude expression increased the number of calls made by university fundraisers, which was mediated by social worth but not self-efficacy. In Experiment 4, a different measure of social worth mediated the effects of an interpersonal gratitude expression. Our results support the communal perspective rather than the agentic perspective: Gratitude expressions increase prosocial behavior by enabling individuals to feel socially valued.

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Social relational emotions including compassion, gratitude and awe support an individual's capacity to connect with others and are powerful determinants of prosocial behavior.
“For example, social relational emotions including compassion, gratitude and awe support an individual's capacity to connect with others and are powerful determinants of prosocial behavior (Bartlett and DeSteno, 2005; Grant and Gino, 2010; Lindsay and Creswell, 2014; Stellar et al., 2017).”
From The Complex Construct of Wellbeing and the Role of Vagal Function (2022) · cites this paper as Grant and Gino, 2010

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Authors: Grant, A. M., & Gino, F.
Affiliations: University of Pennsylvania (US)
ORCID: Grant, Adam M.
Venue: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2010-06
Volume: 98
Issue: 6
Pages: 946-955
ISSN: 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
1939-1315
DOI: 10.1037/a0017935
OpenAlex: W2112504820
Cited by: 870
References: 61
Citations by year: 2026: 67 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 82 · 2023: 69 · 2022: 78 · 2021: 77 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 44 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 26
FWCI: 28.29
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Psychology of Social Influence
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
Keywords: gratitude expression, prosocial behavior, social worth, self-efficacy, helping behavior, social values
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Adult, Communication, Emotions, Female, Helping Behavior, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Motivation, Reinforcement, Psychology, Social Behavior, Social Identification, Social Values, Self Efficacy, Young Adult

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A little thanks goes a long way: explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior

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