More than grateful: interpersonal gratitude cultivates empathy and transcendent indebtedness, leading to prosocial behavior

This study compared the effects of weekly gratitude reflections over a month, examining the effects of the presence or absence of a benefactor (God/humans) and the type of benefit recalled (abstract/concrete). Participants (N = 1,176) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions regarding benefactors: (1) gratitude: no benefactor, (2) gratitude: human benefactor, or (3) gratitude: God benefactor. In the interpersonal gratitude conditions, participants reflected on either 1) abstract or 2) concrete gifts. Expressing gratitude toward a benefactor (God or a human) elicited more empathy and transcendent indebtedness relative to reflecting on benefits. Gratitude to God and reflecting on abstract gifts yielded the best outcomes. Finally, empathy and transcendent indebtedness mediated the associations between intervention type and post-intervention giving, controlling for gratitude. These findings suggest that prosocial reciprocity was motivated by empathy and transcendent indebtedness, rather than gratitude alone.