Being Grateful Makes Me a Human: the Enhancing Effect of Gratitude Expression on Self-Humanness Via Perceived Social Connection

A growing number of studies have revealed that attributing reduced human characteristics to oneself can be triggered by various factors and can lead to detrimental consequences. Relatively fewer studies, however, have investigated factors that could enhance the amount of humanness people perceive in themselves. The present research systematically investigated whether gratitude expression could shape self-perception by seeing oneself as more human. A survey study (Study 1, N = 250) conducted in China first measured the degree of gratitude expression at the end of a given day and revealed the correlational relationship between gratitude expression and self-humanness. Three experimental studies (Studies 2A, 2B and 3) employing samples from both collectivistic (Studies 2A and 2B, Ns = 200 and 300) and individualistic cultures (Study 3, N = 198) further manipulated the expression of gratitude using different methods and confirmed the causal relationship between gratitude expression and self-humanness. In addition, we assessed perceived social connection across all studies and found it acting as a mediator in this process. Notably, Study 2B revealed that the effect of gratitude expression on self-humanness was not solely due to the positive emotions elicited by this behavior. In general, four studies have convergently demonstrated that gratitude expression leads people to feel more human via an increased sense of connection with other people. Theoretical and practical implications have been discussed.