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Take Nothing for Granted: Downward Social Comparison and Counterfactual Thinking Increase Adolescents’ State Gratitude for the Little Things in Life

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  • Elena Gabriela Nicuță

    (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi)

  • Ticu Constantin

    (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi)

Abstract

While gratitude in adulthood has been widely studied, less is known about gratitude among adolescents, particularly when it comes to its determinants. Previous work suggests that feeling thankful implies some kind of comparative judgment. Given that downward social comparison and downward counterfactual thinking share many similarities, we assumed that both types of comparative thinking would be related to increases in adolescents’ levels of state gratitude. Two scenario-based studies conducted on Romanian high school students are reported. In Study 1, participants read vignettes depicting daily life events which resulted in small benefits for the main characters. Relative to the control group, adolescents in downward social comparison and downward counterfactual thinking conditions felt more grateful and estimated that the benefit was more valuable. In Study 2, we used a pretest–posttest design to test the same hypotheses and to examine whether the experimental manipulation could also be linked to increases in negative affect. Results show that after engaging in downward comparative thinking, participants reported more gratitude, as well as decreased levels of negative emotion. In both studies, the relation between downward comparative thinking and state gratitude was mediated by the perceived value of the benefit. These findings draw attention to the relative nature of gratitude, by pointing to the fact that it can be easily influenced by changes in the reference point with which one compares oneself.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Gabriela Nicuță & Ticu Constantin, 2021. "Take Nothing for Granted: Downward Social Comparison and Counterfactual Thinking Increase Adolescents’ State Gratitude for the Little Things in Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 3543-3570, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:22:y:2021:i:8:d:10.1007_s10902-021-00382-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-021-00382-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Reuben D. Rusk & Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick & Lea Waters, 2016. "Gratitude or Gratefulness? A Conceptual Review and Proposal of the System of Appreciative Functioning," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 2191-2212, October.
    2. Lili Tian & Minmin Du & E. Huebner, 2015. "The Effect of Gratitude on Elementary School Students’ Subjective Well-Being in Schools: The Mediating Role of Prosocial Behavior," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(3), pages 887-904, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Chunyan & Xie, Xiaochun, 2023. "Put down the phone and accompany me: How parental phubbing undermines prosocial behavior of early adolescents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    2. Agnieszka Lasota, 2023. "Crisis Experience and Purpose in Life in Men and Women: The Mediating Effect of Gratitude and Fear of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(15), pages 1-14, August.

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