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Home , Gratitude

Is It Necessary for Gratitude to Have an Object? A State Gratitude Approach

Shueh-Chin Ting, Professor, Department of Education, National University of Tainan, Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Is it necessary for gratitude to have an object? What are the objects of gratitude? Previous studies have not yet made clarifications on this subject, indicating that there are still unclear areas in the basic concept of gratitude. According to past literature, gratitude can be divided into trait gratitude and state gratitude. This study explores state gratitude. We interviewed 15 adults who have experience with gratitude, asking them to share their gratitude story. We found that even though their reasons for being grateful are different, they all expressed that their gratitude has an object. The object of their gratitude included people, , the earth, and animals. We found that when the interviewees indicated that their gratitude was directed towards people, classmates, wives, teachers, officials, parents, and even enthusiastic strangers were mentioned. Keywords: , gratitude, reciprocity

RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND MOTIVES

At present, studies have shown individuals who express gratitude has positive outcomes on oneself, for example, well-being (Toussaint & Friedman, 2009; Wood, Joseph, & Maltby, 2009); has positive effects on others, for example, altruism (Bartlett & DeSteno, 2006; Tsang, 2006); has positive effects on the organization, for example, creating repurchase and positive word-of-mouth (Soscia, 2007) and producing long term performance benefits (Palmatier, Jarvis, Bechkoff, & Kardes, 2009). Therefore, gratitude is a topic worth advocating. If gratitude can be effectively utilized in society and in management systems, it can contribute to social harmony and organizational performance. However, one issue worthy of : to whom gratitude is directed is unclear, and this was a common issue present in past studies. One possible explanation is that we are very familiar with the noun (gratitude), often expressing it in our daily lives, causing us to often to define the object of our gratitude when mentioning our of gratefulness. Another explanation is that gratitude is a personal trait. Therefore, it is not necessary for gratitude to have an object. Previous studies have established the boundary between trait gratitude and state gratitude (Wood, Maltby, Stewart, Linley, & Joseph, 2008), but most studies do not differentiate between the two. After reading previous research, this study proposes the perspective that trait gratitude is the intensity at which an individual has feelings of gratitude. It is a universal, intrinsic, and personal characteristic that differs among individuals. In addition, state gratitude is not a personal characteristic, but it is an emotional response produced by external stimuli and a product of cognitive assessment and is often accompanied with extrinsic behavior of reciprocity in return to the specific object who benefited him/her. This study is more interested in state gratitude because state gratitude is easier to form than trait gratitude. Government, enterprises, leaders, and even individuals can make great efforts to create state gratitude of people anywhere and anytime, because only by using the correct method and simple issue for

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citizens, employees, and people around us, they could be directed to a higher state gratitude. Wood, Maltby, Stewart, Linley, & Joseph (2008) have indicated that cost, value, and genuine helpfulness are three important factors of forming state gratitude of people. Cost is defined as the amount invested by the benefactor in order to help the beneficiary. Value is the importance and meaning perceived by beneficiary for the help of the benefactor giving. Genuine helpfulness refers to the motive of the benefactor to help the beneficiary. Since state gratitude stems from stimuli (help from the benefactor), is gratitude supposed to have an object? Do different stimuli produce different objects of gratitude? What are the objects of gratitude? According to the study’s observations, gratitude must have an object. The object does not necessarily have to be a person; it can be God, Mother Nature, mountains, animals, and plants. Because of religious beliefs, people thank God for all that He has given us. Mother Nature has given many precious resources to us. Without sunlight, water, land, and minerals, humanity cannot survive. So Mother Nature produces feelings of gratitude in some people. It may be also because a dog has helped someone, and this person feels grateful towards the dog. Gratitude is similar to feelings of , , , and delight in that they all have an object. We ask what makes one happy, what makes one angry, what makes one sad, and what makes one delightful? For gratitude, what makes one grateful? Therefore, we believe that gratitude has an object, but it does not necessarily have to be a person. Even though this research regards gratitude as possessing an object, there is not yet an in-depth study for this issue. Is it necessary for gratitude to have an object? It is an issue of attribution of gratitude. Surely, attribution of gratitude is not only an object issue. Cohen (2006) found that there is still debate on whether attribution of gratitude is necessary while sorting through previous studies. Therefore, we believe this is a topic worthy of exploring.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The research problem is exploratory, thus we used the interview method to conduct the study. First, we filtered adults who have experience with gratitude and still retain memory of the experience as the interviewees. Then, we invited them to accept the interview, with 15 subjects accepting. Next, we proceeded to the interviews, asking the interviewees to describe their gratitude story according to their true, real-life experiences. Based on the interviewees’ accounts, we determined whether it is necessary for gratitude to have an object and what the object of their gratitude is. The 15 interviewees were between the ages of 25 to 60, resided in Taiwan, and have legitimate jobs from a background of a wide range of careers including soldier, cement finisher, factory operator, store clerk, salesman, bank teller, engineer, designer, and company manager. Seven interviewees were male and eight were female.

RESULTS

According to the results of the interviews, this study found that every grateful interviewee explicitly referred to the object of their gratitude, which included people, God, the earth, and animals, indicating that gratitude has an object, though the object does not necessary have to be people. It can be God, the earth, or animals. Some interviewees indicated that the object of their gratitude is people. The following are their accounts:

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During my time of economic hardship, I was struggling in my daily life and I couldn’t find anyone who would lend me money. I ran into a chance encounter with a classmate who I hadn’t seen for years. When he learned of my recent turn of events, he gave me 20,000 TWD, which allowed me to return to my routine life. I still remember what he did for me to this day. I am forever grateful to him. Every New Year, I always say him a happy New Year, because he lent me a helping hand in my time of the most need. (Gratitude to a classmate) If I have to recall a story in which I am the most grateful, I’d say when I was young, I was inconsiderate. I abandoned my wife and children. I then served a 10 year sentence in jail. At the time my children were 2 and 4 years old. No money at home, but God blessed me with a great wife. She endured hardships and took care of the two children during the 10 years. Without her, I would not have the home I have today. (Gratitude to wife) In the process of falling in , I was met with many things that didn’t go as planned and the way I wanted it to be. It can be described as miserable. I was very good to my boyfriend. I treated him many times better than I treated myself. I loved deeply and let myself live miserably. I found out later that my boyfriend doesn’t love me. After being broken up for many years, I was still unhappy. Until I started to continue my studies, met my advisor, and was busy with schoolwork and my thesis, leading me slowly returned to a normal life. My advisor is optimistic and very proactive when doing things. She feels a strong sense of mission to society. Every week when I visited her to discuss my thesis, she can advise me on my thesis, in addition, we also discussed topics other than the paper. I learned and changed a lot from our conversations; my way of thinking became broader. My personality and outlook on life became more optimistic. My advisor is my savior. I thank her with all my life. (Gratitude to a teacher) One night while going home after a graveyard shift, I was robbed. A young man—a stranger—happened to pass by. He was very vigilant and quickly pulled out his cell phone, yelling, “Police! There’s a robbery at...” I later found out that he did not have time to dial; he was only shouting so that the robber can hear. Unexpectedly, the robber came at him. There was a fight and even though the robber was subdued, the man who helped me was still injured. I feel very sorry because I owe him. There are actually many good people out there in the world. If this kind young man did not come to the rescue during this incident, the consequences are unimaginable. He saved me from danger even I didn’t know who he is. I can only keep the gratitude I have for him in my heart forever. (Gratitude to an enthusiastic stranger) I am able to climb to the position I am at today because 23 years ago the section head gave me a chance, and for that I am grateful. According to the company policy, the company does not have to continue employing me because my performance had been unsatisfactory for the past 3 months. But the section head at the time broke tradition and fought for another 3 months of probation for me. Later, I learned that he believed I had potential and am worthy of training. Starting from the fourth month, he gave me special training, bestowing all his knowledge upon me. My performance increased by leaps and bounds very quickly. If I did not have support from him 23 years ago, I would not be where I am today. When talking about business in the office, he is the first person I would like to thank. (Gratitude to senior officer) When I was little, my family was very poor. My mom and dad are not highly educated. They could only depend on labor to earn meager wages, but the education they gave the four children at home does not lose to that of other children. This was due to their perseverance. After I grew up, I finally realized why they always left early in the morning and came home late at night. They worked with all their might because they wanted to make more money for us so that we could study. The young me could not understand this; I resented that I had bad parents and often complained that my parents weren’t like other parents who would take their children out to play, eat, watch television, and chitchat with them. My

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parents died young because they were overworked. The tradeoff was that all four children are highly educated. I was not filial at that time. Not only I didn’t help my parents, but I was full of complaints and defiance. Now I think I have the greatest parents. They quietly gave us their all. If I can redo my life, I wouldn’t want them to live like that. I would trade my education for their health. Mom and Dad, your will be forever ingrained in my heart. Thank you. (Gratitude to parents) My story of gratitude is about my mom. My dad passed away when I was very young. I was raised singlehandedly by mother. My mom toiled in heavy labor to make a living. She never mentioned to me how hard she worked. One time when my mom had inpatient surgery, I noticed both of her hands were callused, blistered, and rougher than a laborer’s hands while I was giving her a sponge bath. It also looked very dirty. Not only that, no matter how hard I scrubbed I could not scrub it clean. I cried as I was scrubbing. I saw that my mom’s hard work was written all over her hands. I told my mom that I could provide for her now and that she didn’t have to work so hard anymore. We then cried in each other’s arms. (Gratitude to Mom) Some interviewees indicated that the object of their gratitude is God. The following are their accounts: Because I believe in , I often feel that God gave humanity everything we have. So, I say I am very grateful to God. When I am helpless, God does not abandon me and helps me through the hardship. I remember during the economic crisis I was laid off by the company. Because I was middle-aged when I lost my job, it was difficult for me to find a good job. I felt very low and often lost my temper. One day I went to church. God wanted me to change my perspective and told me that I was resting for the long journey ahead. So, I took advantage of the free time I had during unemployment to learn how to make bread. I had actually always wanted to learn bread-making but never had the time. Now, I’m able to make a successful career change, running a successful bakery, and the business is doing well. The income is much better than at my previous job. I thank God for his help. (Gratitude to God) I often go to the shrine to worship. I am not actually asking for anything in return when I am worshipping at the shrine, but when the deities are by my side, I always feel a strong force of positivity protecting me that lets me be calm and not about anything. I feel at peace because I can let my worries go. To me, only the deities can give me peace, and peace lets me handle matters in a better way, so I thank them. (Gratitude to the deities) Some interviewees indicated that the object of their gratitude is the earth. The following are their accounts: I think my gratitude is probably very unique. I think if there’s no earth there would not be humanity. Every person lives on the earth, factories are built on the earth, companies are operated on the earth, and our homes are also built on the earth. It seems like the earth is an indispensable resource for us; we should appreciate the earth. (Gratitude to the earth) In recent years, humanity began emphasizing environmental protection and realized that we should treat nature kindly. Nature has actually treated humanity very well, providing us many resources, minerals, timber, petroleum, and also water and air. Try thinking, what outcome humanity becomes without these resources. Therefore, humanity is really nothing worth disputing. We are all people of this land. Without this beautiful living environment, all is lost. Therefore, I am grateful to the land. (Gratitude to nature) I remember when I left the country first time to go abroad. Although I was very happy because I visited many different countries, I got homesick after leaving home for a while. So when I reached Taiwan airspace while flying, I experienced a special in my heart that told me that I belong here. It was

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most likely a sense of belonging. When I stepped out on the land again, I felt everything in Taiwan is close to my heart. A new mindset emerged in me: I love this piece of land that is Taiwan and I want to contribute to this country. Familiarity and closeness ignited my love for this country and motivated me to contribute to it. I believe this was produced by my feelings of gratitude. (Gratitude to his/her country) Some interviewees indicated that the object of their gratitude is animals. The following are their accounts: People often say dogs are man’s best friend. It is not over. My dog is very thoughtful. When I am in a bad mood, he tries to make me happy. This is not the most important part. The most touching part is he could sacrifice his life to save my life. One winter night I was crossing the street with my dog when a car running a red light sped towards me from my left side. I hadn’t been paying attention. At the time my dog was walking behind me. When he saw I was in danger, he jumped to my left side to shield me from the car. I suffered from only flesh wounds, but my dog was badly mutilated by the accident. I cried for a long time. I am genuinely grateful to my dog. (Gratitude to a dog) I remember one time while practicing live grenade throws during my service in the military, one soldier did not throw a grenade correctly and it landed in our company’s vicinity. When the dog in our company saw what was happening, he pounced on the grenade. Of course it was sacrificial. All of us remained unscathed. The whole company gathered to mourn for the dog and all had red eyes from crying. There is no one who is greater than the dog. I will always remember this sacrificial behavior. If it hadn’t been the dog who sacrificed his life to save ours, I may not be alive in this world today. I am forever grateful to the dog in our company. (Gratitude to a dog) When thinking of my own story of gratitude, the first thing I think of is my cat. My cat is very sensitive to noise; she will wake up at the slightest sound. She sleeps in the living room while I sleep in the bedroom. I always close the door when I sleep. One time in the middle of the night a thief tried to steal from us. I did not know the thief had entered the house. Later, I heard the sound of something falling. When I woke up to check, I saw the door was opened and someone was leaving quickly. My God! It’s a thief! I quickly closed the door and took a look at the dining room and the living room. I saw that the dishes on the counter were now broken on the ground. I then realized that the cat was smart, creating noise to scare the thief away. Because of this, nothing was stolen from my house and I was spared from shock. Since then the bond between me and my cat grew stronger. Because I know my cat is good to me, I am also good to her in return. (Gratitude to a cat)

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

Previous research has not yet clarified whether gratitude has an object and what the objects of gratitude are. This causes the loss of the correct interpretation of the results of gratitude studies. The most appropriate policies cannot be drawn based on inaccurate interpretations of research results (including the government’s social policy, business leadership strategy, home education, and school education). This study interviewed 15 adults who have experienced gratitude. All 15 interviewees indicated that their gratitude has an object (though their reasons for gratitude are not the same). The objects of gratitude included people, God, the earth, and animals. Previous studies have mentioned people as an object of gratitude, but God, the earth, and animals are mentioned less. Extending the scope of the objects of gratitude to non-humans is one of the major contributions of this study. This study found that when the interviewees referred to people as the object of their gratitude, classmates, wife, teachers, senior officers, parents, and even enthusiastic strangers are mentioned by interviewees, which enriches the types of

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people that are grateful. This is another contribution of this study. The findings of this study not only answer the question of whether gratitude has an object, but also what the objects of gratitude are. Based on the results of this study, diverse policies and methods can be discovered from considering the objects of gratitude when governments, businesses, or educators need to inspire one’s gratitude. Furthermore, from the perspective of marketing or persuasion, obstacles may be able to be resolved and success in marketing or persuasion be achieved if the marketer or the persuader can grasp and make good use of the object of one’s gratitude. The scope of this study is established within state gratitude, not trait gratitude. We interviewed adults who have experienced gratitude and still retains memory of this experience. The interviewees described their story of gratitude which is usually based on major events they have experienced firsthand in the past, so they mentioned the object of their gratitude. In terms of grammar, the act of feeling grateful in these cases is a verb. Hence there must be an object. As the findings of this study, these objects can be people, God, the earth, and animals. But if gratitude is defined as trait gratitude, in this case “grateful” is just a personal characteristic and an adjective. Because “grateful” is regarded as an adjective, there are no objects. Under these conditions, those who are grateful may not have an object for their gratitude. This detail is worthy of further research. Moreover, how are the antecedent causes of state gratitude and trait gratitude different? From here, similar questions are derived such as how to enhance state gratitude and trait gratitude. In addition, which of learners’ state gratitude or trait gratitude educators can enhance? These are topics for discussions that subsequent studies can explore.

REFERENCES

Bartlett, M. Y. & DeSteno, D. (2006). Gratitude and : Helping when it costs you. Psychological Science, 17(4), 319-325. Cohen, A. B. (2006). On gratitude. Social Justice Research, 19(2), 254-276. Palmatier, R. W., Jarvis, C. B., Bechkoff, J. R. & Kardes, F. R. (2009). The role of customer gratitude in relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 1-18. Soscia, I. (2007). Gratitude, delight, or : The role of consumers’ in predicting postconsumption behaviors. & Marketing, 24(10), 871-894. Toussaint, L. & Friedman, P. (2009). , gratitude, and well-being: The Mediating role of and beliefs. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10(6), 635-654. Tsang, J. A. (2006). Gratitude and prosocial behavior: An experimental test of gratitude. Cognition and Emotion, 20(1), 138-148. Wood, A. M., Joseph, S. & Maltby, J. (2009). Gratitude predicts psychological well-being above the big five facets. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(4), 443-447. Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Stewart, N., Linley, P. A. & Joseph, S. (2008). A social-cognition model of trait and state levels of gratitude. Emotion, 8(2), 281-290.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is grateful to National Science Council in Taiwan for the financial support. (NSC 102-2410-H-024-022)

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