PhD: To Thank or not to Thank: Understanding the Differences between Gratitude and Indebtedness after Receiving a Favor through Emotion Appraisals, Motivations and Behaviors

Gratitude and indebtedness seem to be very similar emotions. They can be experienced when people receive help from others, and motivate reciprocity. Some researchers make no distinction between both emotions. However, recent studies suggest that when certain benefit appraisals are more salient, people are more likely to experience either gratitude or indebtedness. Both emotions are also suggested to play different roles in social exchange by increasing different motivations. Hence, this paper aims to examine the differences between gratitude and indebtedness through three stages – benefit appraisals, motivations and behavioral tendencies. A 14-day diary study was used to examine how daily events and benefit appraisals would influence people’s experience of gratitude and indebtedness, as well as their motivations and behaviors. Results suggest that gratitude and indebtedness are associated with different appraisals. Gratitude is positively associated with perceived benevolence while indebtedness is associated with perceived expectations of repayment. Gratitude increased the motivation to reciprocate via a desire to affiliate with the benefactor, while indebtedness increased the motivation to reciprocate via the desire to adhere to the norm of reciprocity. Finally, gratitude was found to be associated with behavioral affiliation (e.g. spending time together) while indebtedness predicted an increased likelihood of repaying the benefactor for the favor. The theoretical implications, practical implications, and future directions of this paper will then be discussed.