What is gratitude research missing? Bridging the gap between conceptualization, measurement, and intervention

Does contemporary gratitude research investigate the full phenomenon described by current gratitude theories? Gratitude has become a prominent construct in positive psychology, with research linking it to well-being, resilience, prosociality, and mental health. As theoretical perspectives have expanded, however, empirical approaches appear not to have broadened to the same extent. This purposive Mini review examines gratitude research across conceptualization, measurement, intervention, physiology, and neuroscience. Contemporary theories and measures increasingly represent gratitude as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing interpersonal, existential, contemplative, embodied, and ecological dimensions. By contrast, dominant and influential intervention paradigms continue to emphasize reflection on benefits and benefactors, while much of the neuroscience literature reviewed here operationalizes gratitude through interpersonal, appraisal-based, and reciprocity-related scenarios. These differences suggest a conceptual-operational mismatch: relatively broad understandings of gratitude are often investigated through more narrowly focused empirical approaches. Consequently, existing findings may illuminate interpersonal and benefit-focused gratitude more fully than broader forms of grateful experience. We conclude by proposing directions for developing ecologically valid, embodied, and relational methodologies capable of investigating a wider range of gratitude experiences.