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Thank You for Changing: Gratitude Promotes Autonomous Motivation and Successful Partner Regulation.

Natalie M Sisson1, Yoobin Park2, Nickola C Overall3

  • 1University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

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Expressing gratitude for a partner's efforts can improve relationship change. This encourages autonomous motivation, leading to greater success in relationship improvement.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Relationship Science
  • Communication Studies

Background:

  • Relationship improvement often involves partners attempting to change each other's behaviors.
  • However, these attempts at partner regulation are frequently unsuccessful, leading to relationship dissatisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if gratitude expressed by one partner (the agent) can enhance the success of relationship change initiated by the other partner (the target).
  • To examine the mediating role of autonomous motivation in the relationship between gratitude and regulation success.

Main Methods:

  • The study employed a multi-method approach, including observational, longitudinal, and experimental designs.
  • Data were collected from over 1,400 couples across four studies (N = 111 to 725 couples per study).
  • Statistical analyses examined the links between agents' gratitude, targets' autonomous motivation, and regulation success.

Main Results:

  • Agents' expression of gratitude for targets' efforts was consistently associated with greater perceived regulation success.
  • This effect was mediated by increased autonomous motivation in the targets.
  • Gratitude's positive impact on regulation success persisted even when controlling for other positive communication strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Gratitude is a significant factor in promoting successful relationship change and partner regulation.
  • Encouraging autonomous motivation through gratitude can be a key strategy for relationship improvement.
  • Practicing gratitude may be a valuable tool for couples seeking to enhance their relationship dynamics.