Expressing gratitude isn’t necessary, but a little appreciation may still go a long way

By Lara B Aknin, Distinguished Professor of Social Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Anurada Amarasekera, Master's Student, Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University
Kristina Castaneto, Master's Student, Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Tiara A Cash, PhD Candidate in Social Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Gratitude statements like “Thanks! You are so kind!” and “Thank you! What you did was really helpful,” are common when someone receives assistance from another person. Such expressions of gratitude and appreciation have long been thought to encourage the helper to do kind things again in the future. But do they?

In contrast to past research, our new findings published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggest that gratitude does not always…

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