Ingrid WALSH

Gratitude is a social emotion that signals our recognition of the things others have done for us (Emmons and McNamara, 2006). The expression of gratitude may serve to communicate reciprocal engagement and to prevent being seen as a “free-loader,” which could end in social punishment (de Quervain et al., 2004). Gratitude then, is an emotion that not... See more

The stimuli used to elicit gratitude were drawn from stories of survivors of the Holocaust, as many survivors report being sheltered by strangers or receiving lifesaving food and clothing, and having strong feelings of gratitude for such gifts. The participants were asked to place themselves in the context of the Holocaust and imagine what their ow... See more

Studies have shown that gratitude has been associated with increased life satisfaction (Datu & Bernardo, 2020; Datu & Mateo, 2015), happiness (Froh et al., 2008; Seligman et al., 2005), healthy eating behavior (Fritz et al., 2019), and positive emotions (Datu & Mateo, 2020). Further, this construct has been linked to reduced levels of d... See more

However, there is mixed evidence regarding the impacts of gratitude interventions, with some research showing significant positive effects (Froh et al., 2008, 2014; Watkins et al., 2003), and others demonstrating non‐significant impacts on well‐being and psychological outcomes (Fritz et al., 2019; Koay et al., 2020). A recent meta‐analytic review (... See more