Gratitude as Elicitor of Reciprocity and Social Capital

越来越多的共识认为，情绪是一种心理机制，旨在塑造认知和行为，以应对适应性挑战。尽管许多消极情绪在指导行为方面的功能作用已经得到了很好的确立，但积极情绪在以适应性方式塑造判断和行为方面的重要性的类似证据才刚刚开始出现。新出现的证据表明，积极情绪的功能可能集中在与社会互动相关的挑战上（例如，建立社会支持、信任、地位）。根据这一观点，当前项目的目标是研究感恩作为一种独特的积极情绪在社会交流和关系建立方面的功能。为了适应功能，人类必须定期参与社会和经济交换。事实上，相互给予和接受资源和支持，无论是物质的、心理的还是财政的，都是社会繁荣的基本必要条件。然而，尽管人们可能通过交换或合作行动获得所有潜在的好处，但参与这种行为的决定充满了风险。任何资源交换不仅需要接受，而且也需要提供货物或援助，这样做会增加不对称损失或收益的可能性。为了解释为什么人类会从事这种冒险和/或昂贵的交换行为，心理学家历来指出了互惠社会规范的发展。然而，鉴于社会交换的高适应价值，这种行为很可能也会受到特定情绪反应的影响。从理论上讲，感恩对成本/收益比尤其敏感。如果这是真的，那么感恩作为这种行为的中介的识别将是第一个证据，证明存在一种离散的积极状态，旨在应对与社会资本（即支持性社会关系）建设相关的挑战。为了研究这一理论，目前的项目包括五个实验，其中感恩和其他积极情绪将通过人际互动来操纵。这些操作对互惠的影响（例如，向捐助者提供昂贵的援助）和建立关系的措施（例如，信任，减少对捐助者的利己主义）将被评估，以确定感激的独特作用。除了科学贡献外，该项目还将通过参与数据收集、分析和在科学会议上的展示来促进本科生和研究生的科学训练。

Growing consensus views emotions as psychological mechanisms designed to shape cognition and behavior to meet adaptive challenges. Although the functional role of many negative emotions in guiding behavior has been well established, similar evidence for the importance of positive emotions in shaping judgment and behavior in adaptive ways is only beginning to emerge. Emerging evidence suggests that the functions of positive emotions may focus on challenges related to social interactions (e.g., building social support, trust, status). Embracing this view, the goal of the current project is to investigate the function of gratitude as a distinct positive emotion with respect to challenges presented by social exchange and relationship building. To function adaptively, humans must regularly engage in social and economic exchange. Indeed, reciprocal giving and receiving of resources and support, whether physical, psychological, or fiscal, stands as a fundamental necessity for society to flourish. Yet for all the potential benefits one might receive through exchange or cooperative actions, decisions to engage in such behaviors are fraught with risk. Any exchange of resources entails not only the receipt, but also the offering, of goods or assistance, and in so doing, raises the potential for an asymmetric loss or gain. To explain why humans engage in such risky and/or costly exchange behaviors, psychologists have historically pointed to the development of a social norm for reciprocity. However, given the high adaptive value of social exchange, it is likely that such behaviors may also be shaped by specific emotional responses. Gratitude, in particular, has been theorized to be sensitive to cost/benefit ratios. If true, identification of gratitude as a mediator of such behaviors would be among the first evidence to demonstrate the existence of a discrete positive state designed to meet challenges associated with the building of social capital (i.e., supportive social relationships). To investigate this theory, the current project consists of five experiments in which gratitude and other positive emotions will be manipulated through interpersonal interactions. The effects of these manipulations on reciprocity (e.g., costly assistance provided to a benefactor) and measures of relationship building (e.g., trust, decreased self-interest in favor of a benefactor) will be assessed to determine the distinct role of gratitude. In addition to scientific contributions, this project will advance scientific training of undergraduate and graduate students through their participation in data collection, analysis, and presentation at scientific meetings.