TY - JOUR
T1 - A grateful heart is a nonviolent heart
T2 - Cross-sectional, experience sampling, longitudinal, and experimental evidence
AU - Dewall, C. Nathan
AU - Lambert, Nathaniel M.
AU - Pond, Richard S.
AU - Kashdan, Todd B.
AU - Fincham, Frank D.
PY - 2012/3
Y1 - 2012/3
N2 - Five studies tested the hypothesis that gratitude is linked to lower levels of aggression. Although gratitude increases mental well-being, it is unknown whether gratitude mitigates against aggression. Gratitude motivates people to express sensitivity and concern for others and stimulates prosocial behavior. Aggression, defined as intentionally harming another person who is motivated to avoid the harm, runs counter to the motivation to increase others' welfare and should be reduced among grateful people. Cross-sectional, longitudinal, experience sampling, and experimental designs yielded converging evidence to show that gratitude is linked to lower aggression. Higher empathy mediated the relationship between gratitude and lower aggression. These findings have widespread applications for understanding the role of emotion on aggression and can inform interventions aimed at reducing interpersonal aggression.
AB - Five studies tested the hypothesis that gratitude is linked to lower levels of aggression. Although gratitude increases mental well-being, it is unknown whether gratitude mitigates against aggression. Gratitude motivates people to express sensitivity and concern for others and stimulates prosocial behavior. Aggression, defined as intentionally harming another person who is motivated to avoid the harm, runs counter to the motivation to increase others' welfare and should be reduced among grateful people. Cross-sectional, longitudinal, experience sampling, and experimental designs yielded converging evidence to show that gratitude is linked to lower aggression. Higher empathy mediated the relationship between gratitude and lower aggression. These findings have widespread applications for understanding the role of emotion on aggression and can inform interventions aimed at reducing interpersonal aggression.
KW - Aggression
KW - Emotion
KW - Interpersonal processes
KW - Interpersonal relationships
KW - Violence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84856487368&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/1948550611416675
DO - 10.1177/1948550611416675
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84856487368
SN - 1948-5506
VL - 3
SP - 232
EP - 240
JO - Social Psychological and Personality Science
JF - Social Psychological and Personality Science
IS - 2
ER -