This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The greeting card aisle is just the beginning. An array of Lindor truffle tins, refrigerator magnets, custom Hershey's Kisses or plush "thanks a ton!" elephants can deliver the message.
There's even a company that will print a gratitude message directly on a potato, pack it in a gold box with tinsel and mail it to that special someone. Either way, your "thank you" is bound to make the recipient feel good. But have you ever thought about what it says to those watching from the sidelines?
That's exactly what Northeastern University psychology professor David DeSteno and Ph.D. student Alexandra Gray set out to study. Their paper, titled "Gleaning Information from a 'Thank You': How Witnessing Expressions of Gratitude Shape Perceptions of and Actions Toward Others," was published in the journal Affective Science in June. As Gray explained, she saw a gap in existing research on third-party observers of gratitude.
What does a "thank you" tell an observer about the person expressing it? Understanding those inferences could explain how people identify potential friends, collaborators and other social partners. "No one before 2020 had looked at the effects on third-party observers," Gray said.
Previous studies have found that watching someone express gratitude makes others see them as a better social partner, according to Gray and DeSteno. For better or worse, it also makes observers more willing to give the grateful stranger the full scoop on their personal lives. It makes sense that gratitude inspires collaboration.
As psychologist and author of "An Organizational Approach to Workplace Bullying" Debra Stewart told Northeastern Global News, "gratitude creates a need for reciprocity," changing the dynamics between people. But why would it have a similar effect when the appreciative gesture is observed from a distance? The answer could lie in the traits people subconsciously bestow on the thanker.
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