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Concept
Gratitude
Summary
Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness. This kindness can be gifts, help, favors, or another form of generosity to another person.
The word comes from the Latin word gratus, which means "pleasing" or "thankful". The absence of gratitude where gratitude is expected is called ingratitude or ungratefulness.
Gratitude has been a part of several world religions. It also has been a topic of interest to ancient, medieval, and modern philosophers.
The discipline of psychology attempts to understand the short term experience of gratitude (state gratitude), individual differences in how frequently gratitude is felt (trait gratitude), the relationship between these two, and the therapeutic benefits of gratitude.
Some assert that gratitude is not the same as indebtedness. While both emotions may occur in response to help or favors, indebtedness occurs when an individual perceives that they are under an obligation to provide repayment or compensation for the aid. The two emotions lead to different actions; indebtedness may motivate the recipient to avoid the person who helped them, whereas gratitude may motivate a recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them.
For example a study of the feelings of migrant adolescents towards their parents noted that "gratitude serves and indebtedness challenges intergenerational relations after migration". The study also noted that "when the expectations of return from the benefactor increase, indebtedness of the beneficiary increases but gratitude decreases".
Filial piety in Buddhism#Repaying the debt of gratitude
Spirituality and gratitude are not dependent on each other, but studies have found that spirituality can enhance a person's ability to be grateful. Those who regularly attend religious services or engage in religious activities are more likely to have a greater sense of gratitude in all areas of life.
Official source
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