GRATITUDE, COMPLIMENT, AND CONGRATULATION

Gratitude, appreciation, or thankfulness is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. In contrast to the positive feeling of gratitude, the feeling of indebtedness is a negative reaction to a favor. Even though our reactions to favors might not always be positive, researchers have found that people express gratitude often. Psychological research has demonstrated that individuals are more likely to experience gratitude when they receive a favor that is perceived to be (1) valued by the recipient, (2) costly to the benefactor, (3) given by the benefactor with benevolent intentions, and (4) given gratuitously (rather than out of role-based obligations) (e.g., Bar-Tal, Bar-Zohar, Greenberg, & Hermon, 1977; Graham, 1988; Lane & Anderson, 1976; Tesser, Gatewood, & Driver, 1968). Individuals who are induced to feel grateful are more likely to behave prosocially toward their benefactor (Tsang, 2006b) or toward unrelated others (Bartlett & DeSteno, 2006).

Gratitude may also serve to reinforce future prosocial behavior in benefactors. For example, Carey and colleagues (Carey, Clicque, Leighton, & Milton, 1976) found that customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a subsequent 70% increase in purchases. In comparison, customers who were thanked and told about a sale showed only a 30% increase in purchases, and customers who were not called at all did not show an increase. Rind and Bordia (1995) found that restaurant patrons gave bigger tips when their servers wrote “Thank you” on their checks.

Research has also suggested that feelings of gratitude may be beneficial to subjective emotional well-being (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). For example, Watkins and colleagues (Watkins et al., 2003) had participants test a number of different gratitude exercises, such as thinking about a living person for whom they were grateful, writing about someone for whom they were grateful, and writing a letter to deliver to someone for whom they were grateful. Participants in the control condition were asked to describe their living room. Participants who engaged in a gratitude exercise showed increases in their experiences of positive emotion immediately after the exercise, and this effect was strongest for participants who were asked to think about a person for whom they were grateful. Participants who had grateful personalities to begin with showed the greatest benefit from these gratitude exercises. In people who are grateful in general, life events have little influence on experienced gratitude.

Although gratitude is something that anyone can experience, some people seem to feel grateful more often than others. People who tend to experience gratitude more frequently than do others also tend to be happier, more helpful and forgiving, and less depressed than their less grateful counterparts.

com⋅pli⋅ment

  /n. ˈkɒmpləmənt; v. ˈkɒmpləˌmɛnt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [n. kom-pluh-muhnt; v. kom-pluh-ment] Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

1.	an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration: A sincere compliment boosts one's morale.

2.	a formal act or expression of civility, respect, or regard: The mayor paid him the compliment of escorting him.

3.	compliments, a courteous greeting; good wishes; regards: He sends you his compliments.

4.	Archaic. a gift; present.

–verb (used with object)

5.	to pay a compliment to: She complimented the child on his good behavior.

6.	to show kindness or regard for by a gift or other favor: He complimented us by giving a party in our honor.

7.	to congratulate; felicitate: to compliment a prince on the birth of a son.

–verb (used without object)

8.	to pay compliments.

congratulation

The act of expressing joy or acknowledgment, as for the achievement or good fortune of another.

1. An expression of such joy or acknowledgment. Often used in the plural: sent him my congratulations on winning the award.

interj. congratulations

Used to express such joy or acknowledgment: I heard you got a promotion. Congratulations!

An expression of admiration or congratulation. commendation, compliment, praise, tribute. See praise/blame.

Definition: complimentation on achievement, luck
Antonyms: censure, commiseration, condemnation, condolences, criticism, rebuke

Noun1.congratulation - the act of acknowledging that someone has an occasion for celebration

2.congratulation - (usually plural) an expression of pleasure at the success or good fortune of another; "I sent them my sincere congratulations on their marriage"