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。尽管许多负面情绪在引导行为方面的功能作用已经得到了很好的证实，但关于积极情绪在以适应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)。秉承这一观点，本项目的目标是调查感恩作为一种独特的积极情绪在应对社会交流和关系建立带来的挑战方面的作用。为了适应环境变化，人类必须定期进行社会和经济交流。事实上，相互给予和接受资源和支持，无论是物质上的、心理上的还是财政上的，都是社会繁荣的根本需要。然而，尽管人们可能会通过交换或合作行动获得所有潜在的好处，但从事此类行为的决定充满了风险。任何资源交换不仅需要接受，而且还需要提供货物或援助，这样做可能会造成不对称的损失或收益。为了解释为什么人类会做出如此危险和/或代价高昂的交换行为，心理学家历来指出，社会规范的发展是为了互惠。然而，考虑到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。特别是感恩，理论上认为它对成本/收益比很敏感。如果是真的，将感恩视为此类行为的中介者将是证明存在一种离散的积极状态的首批证据之一，该状态旨在应对与建立社会资本(即支持性社会关系)相关的挑战。为了研究这一理论，目前的项目包括五个实验，在这些实验中，感恩和其他积极情绪将通过人际互动来操纵。将评估这些操纵对互惠的影响(例如，向捐赠者提供昂贵的帮助)和建立关系的措施(例如，信任，有利于捐赠者的减少的利己主义)，以确定感激的独特作用。除了科学贡献外，该项目还将通过本科生和研究生参与数据收集、分析和在科学会议上的陈述来促进对他们的科学培训。

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.