Work

Glad to help out: Grateful people are more likely to engage in costly prosocial action.

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: = 362)-did not result in a similar effect for state gratitude (although those who scored higher on trait gratitude in these experiments reported greater intentions to engage in costly prosocial actions). Together, our findings challenge claims that gratitude reinforces the status quo and undermines efforts to bring about societal change. Instead, we show that more grateful people are more likely to take on the hard, costly work of advancing the greater good. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Emotion

DOI: 10.1037/emo0001722

Authors: Randy T. Lee, Kirstan Brodie, Jerry Richardson, Thomas Gilovich

Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Cornell University

Language: English

Topic: Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Award: G9000129531