More than Merely Positive: The Immediate Affective and Motivational Consequences of Gratitude
Abstract
Although gratitude is typically conceptualized as a positive emotion, it may also induce
socially oriented negative feelings, such as indebtedness and guilt. Given its mixed emotional
experience, we argue that gratitude motivates people to improve themselves in important life
domains. Two single-timepoint studies tested the immediate emotional and motivational effects
of expressing gratitude. We recruited employees (n = 224) from French companies in Study 1 and
students (n = 1026) from U.S. high schools in Study 2. Participants in both studies were randomly
assigned to either write gratitude letters to benefactors or outline their weekly activities (control
condition). Expressing gratitude led to mixed emotional experiences (e.g., greater elevation and
indebtedness) for employees and students as compared with the control group. Students also felt
more motivated and capable of improving themselves, as well as conveyed stronger intentions to
muster effort towards self-improvement endeavors.
The Unintentional Nonconformist: Habits Promote Resistance to Social influence
Asaf Mazar, Guy Itzchakov, Alicea Lieberman, and Wendy Wood
Attitudes
This research tests a novel source of resistance to social influence—the automatic repetition of habit. In three experiments,
participants with strong habits failed to align their behavior with others. Specifically, participants with strong habits to drink
water in a dining hall or snack while working did not mimic others’ drinking or eating, whereas those with weak habits
conformed. Similarly, participants with strong habits did not shift expectations that they would act in line with descriptive
norms, whereas those with weak habits reported more normative behavioral expectations. This habit resistance was not
due to a failure to perceive influence: Both strong and weak habit participants’ recalled others’ behavior accurately, and it
was readily accessible. Furthermore, strong habit participants shifted their normative beliefs but not behavior in line with
descriptive norms. Thus, habits create behavioral resistance despite people’s recognition and acceptance of social influence.
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Deep Listening Training to Bridge Divides: Fostering Attitudinal Change through Intimacy and Self‐Insight
F. K. Tia Moin, Guy Itzchakov, Emily Kasriel, Netta Weinstein
Listening
Deep, high‐quality listening that offers a nonjudgmental approach, understanding, and careful attention when speakers share disparate views can have the power to bridge divides and change speakers' attitudes. However, can people be trained to provide such listening while disagreeing with what they hear, and if so, are the effects of the listening training sufficient for creating perceptible change during disagreements? This study, conducted with delegates (N=320) representing 86 countries experimentally tested a “deep” (otherwise termed “high quality“) listening training against a randomly assigned subgroup of attendees who served as a “waitlist” control. During a conversation with another participant on a subject about which they strongly disagreed, participants who had completed a 6‐h training over 3 weeks in high‐quality listening demonstrated improvements in their observed listening behaviors, reported higher levels of interactional intimacy with conversation partners, appeared to increase their self‐insight and subsequently, showed evidence of attitude change. Among the first studies to test semi‐causal outcomes of high‐quality listening training between attendees with diverse and contrary attitudes in a real‐world, cross‐national setting; we discuss the potential and limitations for listening training to support positive relations and an open mind in the context of discourse, disagreement and polarization.
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