| Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness. This kindness can be gifts, help, favors, or another form of generosity to another person.
The word comes from the Latin word gratus, which means "pleasing" or "thankful". The absence of gratitude where gratitude is expected is called ingratitude or ungratefulness.Gratitude has been a part of several world religions. It also has been a topic of interest to ancient, medieval, and modern philosophers.The discipline of psychology attempts to understand the short term experience of gratitude (state gratitude), individual differences in how frequently gratitude is felt (trait gratitude), the relationship between these two, and the therapeutic benefits of gratitude. |
