Gratitude, thankfulness or gratefulness, from the Latin word gratus meaning “pleasing” or “thankful”,[1] is regarded as a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another’s kindness,[2][3][4] gifts, help, favors, or other forms of generosity[5] to the giver of such gifts.[6][7] Historically, the experience of Gratitude has been a part of several world religions.[8] It also has been a topic of interest to ancient, medieval and modern philosophers, and continues to engage contemporary philosophers.[9]
The systematic study of Gratitude within the discipline of psychology began in the year 1998 when Martin Seligman introduced a new branch of psychology, positive psychology,[10] which focuses on reinforcement of positive traits. The study of Gratitude in psychology has included the attempt to understand the short term experience of the Gratitude response (state Gratitude), individual differences in how frequently Gratitude is felt among individuals (trait Gratitude), and the relationship between these two aspects, as well as the therapeutic benefits of Gratitude.[11][12]