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

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

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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Metadata

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 › Psychology › Social Psychology › 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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