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Giant Brain Candy: It’s the Meaning, Not the Gift. People who read the very same story of being helped felt more grateful when they saw the help as more valuable, more costly to the helper and more freely given. Changing those features changed how grateful people felt. Source: Appraising a kindness.
Strong evidenceThe research
  1. Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Stewart, N., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008). A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude. Emotion, 8(2), 281–290.

Journey 5 · Gratitude

It’s the Meaning, Not the Gift

People who read the very same story of being helped felt more grateful when they saw the help as more valuable, more costly to the helper and more freely given. Changing those features changed how grateful people felt.

Source: Appraising a kindness · Strong evidence

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