Gratitude and Prosocial Behavior: Helping When It Costs You
Abstract
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.
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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 Bartlett and DeSteno, 2005
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- Authors
- Bartlett, M. Y., & DeSteno, D.
- Affiliations
- Northeastern University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-04
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 319-325
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2166859536
- Cited by
- 1,161
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 48 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 83 · 2023: 80 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 92 · 2020: 95 · 2019: 82 · 2018: 55 · 2017: 76 · 2016: 70 · 2015: 65 · 2014: 75 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 38
- FWCI
- 17.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Keywords
- gratitude, prosocial behavior, helping behavior, reciprocity norms, emotion induction, costly helping, incidental emotions, positive affect, relationship building
- MeSH terms
- Affect, Female, Helping Behavior, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Social Behavior
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