Saying Thanks and Meaning It: Expressing Gratitude for Social Gain

People sometimes give thanks as a true expression of their feeling but also sometimes because they know gratitude expression helps to make a certain social impression. That is, some gratitude is expressed because of intrinsic motivations or extrinsic motivations. Such motivations affect the outcomes of behavior. The present work assessed gratitude, trait tendency to manage socially desirable expressions, and well-being across two studies (combined n = 398). Motivations to express gratitude were also measured and impression management goals were manipulated in study 2. Results show that gratitude expression is highest when people want to make a good impression and extrinsic motives to express gratitude can moderate the relationship between gratitude and well-being. Implications for the measurement of gratitude and theoretical understanding of gratitude’s social function are discussed.