Gratitude

Gratitude is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. It has been recognized as a virtue in many cultures and in most major religions.

Definition

Gratitude is not the same as indebtedness. While both emotions occur following help, indebtedness occurs when a person perceives that they are under an obligation to make some repayment of compensation for the aid. The emotions lead to different actions; indebtedness motivates the recipient of the aid to avoid the person who has helped them, whereas gratitude motivates the recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them.

Benefits

Gratitude has been said to have one of the strongest links with mental health of any character trait. Numerous studies suggest that grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress and depression.

Gratitude in positive psychology

Within positive psychology, gratitude has been found to have consistently strong relations with different forms of well-being. This includes an individual's overall well-being and happiness but also their social well-being. Positive psychology has been found to be effective in increasing gratitude.

See also

• Positive psychology
• Emotion
• Virtue

References

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