Gratitude is morally sensitive

Abstract

Helping acts, however well-intended and beneficial, sometimes involve immoral means or immoral helpers. Here we explore whether help recipients consider moral evaluations in their appraisals of gratitude; a possibility that has been neglected by existing accounts of gratitude. Participants felt less grateful and more uneasy when offered immoral help (Study 1, N = 150), and when offered morally neutral help by an immoral helper (Study 2, N = 172). In response to immoral help or helpers, participants were less likely to accept the help and less willing to strengthen their relationship with the helper even when they accepted it. Study 3 (N = 276) showed that recipients who felt grateful when offered immoral help were perceived as less likable, less moral, and less suitable as close relationship partners than those who felt uneasy by observers. Our results demonstrate that gratitude is morally sensitive and suggest this might be socially adaptive.

Perceived social support and college student engagement: moderating effects of a grateful disposition on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs as a mediator

“…The former, as an affective state, refers to the emotional experience of receiving kindness from others, while the latter is regarded as a personality trait [ 33 ], defined as the individual differences in the frequency and intensity of gratitude and tendency to respond to events with a grateful emotion [ 34 ]. A grateful disposition is a central moral trait in the Chinese culture [ 35 ]. Its importance is emphasized in many social contexts such as school, family, and community.…”