Gratitude Essay

500 words essay on gratitude.

Gratitude is a beautiful way of enriching our lives. It refers to the feeling and attitude of appreciation and thankfulness for the good which we receive in life. It has been proven scientifically that when we express our gratefulness to other people, we feel happier and calmer. Thus, it allows goodness to enter our lives. For instance, when a stranger holds the door for you or greets you, it makes you feel happy. Thus, a gratitude essay will teach us how advantageous gratitude is.

gratitude essay

Advantages of Gratitude

Gratitude can have a lot of advantages to our personal as well as social life. First of all, it strengthens our relationship with others. When you have a thankful feeling, it will strengthen the bond with the other party and enhance the trust factor and feeling of respect and love .

Moreover, it also makes us happy. When we express gratitude or receive it, we feel happy either way. As a result, people who have gratitude do not stress out a lot. Similarly, being full of gratitude makes society sensible.

In other words, people become considerate and never leave a chance to say thank you to others. Thus, it helps society to progress in the right direction with the right tools needed for the development of it.

Most importantly, gratitude reduces comparisons and promotes acknowledgement. When we become thankful, we do not compare ourselves to others. Thus, it helps us acknowledge our own achievements and blessings and remain content.

How to Practice Gratitude

There are a lot of ways through which we can practice gratitude. Some of the most effective ones include making a note of every good thing which happens to us every day. Moreover, also note the people behind it.

This will help you to return the favour at an appropriate time. Never forget to return this favour as they deserve it too. Moreover, always make sure to appreciate everything in life ranging from nature to animals .

We are lucky enough to have animals, green plants, fresh air and much more. Thus, never stop acknowledging the importance of these essential things. Moreover, always remember to say thank you to different community helpers.

It can be anyone, whether your gardener or sweeper or even the police officers. Make sure you thank them for their service whenever it is possible for you. Remember that to wake up every day is no less than a blessing itself.

So, make sure to be grateful for a new day and thank the almighty for making you wiser and stronger with each passing day. Most importantly, try to avoid complaining about things when they don’t go your way. You don’t know about the blessing behind it.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of Gratitude Essay

All in all, gratitude is the most essential human expression which proves that humans are sensible and have emotions. Moreover, this emotion does not just limit to humans but also animals. Often, we see then express their gratitude and return the favour. Thus, we must always express our gratitude.

FAQ of Gratitude Essay

Question 1: Why is gratitude important?

Answer 1: Gratitude is strongly and constantly connected with greater happiness. It is what helps people feel more positive emotions, appreciate good experiences, advance their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

Question 2: How can gratitude change your life?

Answer 2: Gratitude can change your life as it makes you appreciate what you have rather than what you don’t have. It can change your life  because it is the single most powerful source of inspiration that any individual can tap into if they simply stop and pay attention to the simplistic beauty and miracle of life.

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Common Application Essay Option 4—Gratitude

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One major change to the Common Application in the 2021-22 admissions cycle is the addition of a new essay prompt. Option #4 now reads, "Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?"

This new prompt replaces the earlier question about solving a problem : "Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma--anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution." Keep in mind that colleges and universities still want to learn about students interested in solving significant problems, and you still have the "Topic of Your Choice" option if you feel your essay would fit well under the former option #4.

According to Common App , the new prompt serves a couple purposes. First, it replaces a prompt that wasn't very popular among college applicants. More importantly, it gives applicants the opportunity to write about something positive at a difficult time in world history. Rather than write about significant problems, challenges, and anxieties, the new prompt #4 invites you to share something heartfelt and uplifting.

The Importance of Gratitude and Kindness

During the college application process, it's easy and tempting to focus entirely on your personal accomplishments: good grades, challenging AP courses, leadership experiences, athletic ability, musical talent, and so on. Even community service can sometimes come across as focused on your self—hours spent to bolster your application credentials.

Gratitude, however, is a largely selfless feeling. It's about your appreciation for someone else. It's recognizing that your growth and success wouldn't be possible without others. When you express gratitude, you aren't saying "look at me!" Rather, you are appreciating those who have helped you become you.

The folks at Common App have expressed that the new prompt allows students to write about something positive. This is true, but the prompt serves a bigger purpose in the admissions selection process. Highly selective schools end up rejecting thousands of well-qualified applicants, and those decisions will often come down to questions of character rather than GPA and SAT scores.

Think of it this way: when a college is choosing between two students who are academically strong and impressive on the extracurricular front, they will choose the student who seems to be the most kind and generous. Admissions officers are building a campus community with their admissions decisions, and they want to create a community filled with students who appreciate others, build each other up, and recognize the contributions of peers, staff, and professors. They want to admit students who will be kind roommates, collaborative lab partners, and supportive team members.

Chris Peterson, an assistant director of admissions at MIT, wrote a blog post in which he identified three essential qualities for getting into one of the world's most selective schools: do well in school, pursue your passion, and be nice. He notes that this last quality "cannot be overstated." MIT is not a Common Application member, but the point applies perfectly to the value of prompt #4. A winning essay doesn't say "me, me, me!" It shows that you are not only an accomplished person, but also someone who knows how to say "thank you."

Breaking Down the Essay Prompt

Before crafting your essay on prompt #4, it's essential to understand everything that the prompt is asking you to do as well as what it is not asking. The prompt is just 28 words long:

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

The prompt has several important elements to consider.

"Reflect"

The very first word in the prompt is one of the most significant. "Reflect" means much more than "write about" or "describe." When you reflect on something, you look inward and reveal self-awareness. You employ critical thinking skills to explain why something is important. Reflection is an act of self-discovery as you examine what you have learned and why it was meaningful.

Here's a quick example:

Unreflective writing: Coach Strauss always taught the team the value of hard work. We practiced hours every day regardless of the weather. The coach's strategy paid off when we won the state championship. The effort we put in wasn't always enjoyable, but the team's success showed that the path to success requires sacrifices.

Reflective writing: I used to resent those miserable and seemingly endless soccer practices in the rain or even snow. Looking back, I now recognize the value of what Coach Strauss was teaching the team. To succeed, we need to work through small obstacles. We need to persevere even when motivation is hard to find. We need to recognize that we always have room for improvement, and we need to support each other as we work towards that goal. I can now see that her lessons were about much more than soccer, and thanks to her I am not just a better athlete, but a better student, peer, sister, and community member.

The first example describes the writer's soccer experience. Nothing in the passage looks inward to analyze the importance of Coach Strauss to the writer's personal awareness and development. The second passage succeeds on this front—it expresses gratitude for Coach Strauss and the way that her lessons helped the writer grow.

"Something" and "Someone"

A nice feature of the Common Application is that all of the essay prompts are designed to give you a lot of latitude in how you respond. The words "something" and "someone" in the new prompt #4 are deliberately vague. You can write about anyone and anything. Possible choices for the person you focus on include

  • A teacher who helped you realize your potential or see the world in a new way.
  • A coach who taught you valuable skills.
  • A family member whose support, love, or guidance helped you become the person you are today.
  • A peer who was always there for you in challenging times.
  • A student you mentored or tutored who ended up teaching you something valuable in the process.
  • A member of your church or community who had a meaningful and positive impact on your life.

The wording of the prompt implies that the "someone" is a living person, so you'll want to avoid writing about an author, God, a pet, or a historical figure (but feel free to use prompt #7 for these topics).

As you think about the "something" that the person did for you, make sure it is meaningful. It needs to be something that has changed you in a positive way.

"Surprising"

When the prompt states that you should write about something that has made you "happy or thankful in a surprising way," don't get too hung up on that word "surprising." This doesn't mean that you need to be shocked or overwhelmed by whatever it is that a person did for you. Don't think of the term "surprising" as something that made you speechless and caused an adrenalin rush. It does not need to be something earth-shattering or even unusual. Rather, the "surprise" can simply be something that expanded your world view, made you think about something you hadn't considered before, or caused you to appreciate something new. Some of the best essays focus on something small or subtle that changed you in a meaningful way.

"Gratitude"

The essay's focus on "gratitude" and thankfulness means that you absolutely must show appreciation for someone other than yourself. One main purpose of this essay, in fact, is to show that you recognize the contributions that others have made to your personal journey. Be generous. Be kind. Show that you value the people who have made you into the person you are.

"Affected" and "Motivated"

Here's the tricky part. Essay #4 is all about recognizing someone else and showing gratitude for the way in which that person has enriched your life. That said, every college application essay needs to be about you. The admissions folks aren't really interested in learning about someone else. They are interested in learning about the student they are considering for admission.

This means you have a careful balancing act to perform with essay option #4. You need to write about the person who contributed to your life in a meaningful and surprising way, but you also need to be introspective and present why that person was so important to you. What did you learn from the person? How did you grow? How did that person change your world view, strengthen your convictions, help you overcome an obstacle, or give you a new sense of direction?

When you answer questions like these, you are writing about yourself. The true goal of this essay is to show that you are a grateful, kind, thoughtful, introspective, and generous person. The focus isn't so much on the person you are writing about, but your ability to cherish that person.

Avoid These Mistakes

You can write about anyone who was important to you, and your gratitude can be for something large or small as long as it affected you in a meaningful way. There are, however, several mistakes you want to avoid when responding to the prompt:

Don't display ego . Prompt #4 is about acknowledging the important contributions others have made to your life, so a boastful or egotistical tone will be entirely out of place. If at its heart your essay says "Coach Strauss helped make me into the award-winning national champion I am today," you've missed the mark.

Do more than describe . Make sure you "reflect" and explore how the person "affected" and "motivated" you. A winning essay needs to be thoughtful and introspective. If you spend the entire essay describing the person who has made you grateful, the admissions folks won't get to know you better and your essay won't have done its job.

Don't be clever with the "someone." Write about a real living human being who has enriched your life in a direct way. Don't write about yourself, God, Abe Lincoln, or Harry Potter. You also don't want to write about a sports idol or musician—while they may have influenced you, they didn't actually do something specifically "for you."

Attend to the Writing

Never forget that your Common Application serves not just to help the admissions folks get to know you, but also to show that you are a capable writer. No matter what your major is, a significant part of your college GPA is going to stem from writing. Successful college students can write clear, engaging, error-free prose. You'll want to pay careful attention to your essay's style , tone, and mechanics. At a highly selective university with more qualified applicants than can be admitted, the difference between an acceptance and rejection can come down to some glaring grammatical errors in the essay.

If you aren't confident in your writing ability, seek help. Have multiple people read your essay. Get feedback from parents and peers, Even more valuable will probably be feedback from your high school counselor and English teacher, for they have more experience with personal essays.

A Final Note for Common Application Option #4

This essay prompt can be approached is so many different ways, but at its heart, the essay needs to accomplish one thing: it needs to show that you are the type of person the college wants to join their campus community. Make sure you come across as someone who is kind, generous, and thoughtful. Show that you care about good writing by crafting an engaging essay that is free of any significant errors. Finally, don't be afraid to let your personality shine. Don't hold back (within reason) if you are a quirky or humorous person. The essay needs to sound like you.

  • The 2021-22 Common Application Essay Prompts
  • Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth
  • 2020-21 Common Application Essay Option 4—Solving a Problem
  • Common Application Essay Option 3 Tips: Challenging a Belief
  • Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place
  • "Grandpa's Rubik's Cube"—Sample Common Application Essay, Option #4
  • Common Application Essay Option 2 Tips: Learning from Failure
  • Common Application Essay, Option 1: Share Your Story
  • Tips for an Admissions Essay on an Influential Person
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Gratitude Essay

500+ words essay on be grateful.

During difficult times, it’s easy to feel frustrated or drained by life. Negative feelings and thoughts can creep in, which can make it difficult to see the positive things in life. However, one simple practice of gratitude can help to eliminate these feelings. We take a look at the importance of being grateful through this being grateful essay. Students can also use this essay to practise more essays on similar topics like gratitude, being grateful, being grateful etc. Doing so will improve their writing section and increase their scores in the English exam.

What is Gratitude?

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. The word gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation or thanks. It is defined as “a sense of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving a gift, whether the gift is a tangible benefit from a specific other or a moment of peaceful bliss evoked by natural beauty”. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives.

There are different ways of expressing one’s thanks. Gratitude is one such emotion. People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. Some of them apply it to the past by retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings. Some people are grateful for the present as they do not take good fortune for granted. Some people show gratitude for the future as they hope for a better future and maintain an optimistic attitude.

Importance of Gratitude

Gratitude enhances the quality of life and makes existence more worth living. It opens the human heart and carries the urge to give back-to do something good in return, either for the person who helped us or for someone else. It establishes social harmony and creates an environment where everyone is appreciating and providing support to each other. It also improves the quality of personal lives and strengthens the bond with family and friends. Expressing gratitude keeps us happy, healthy and stress-free.

Feeling grateful reminds people of a joyous event, and expressing gratitude to others often strengthens relationships. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. When we are grateful for others, we do not compare ourselves with others based on their financial situation or other factors, we simply appreciate their achievements. Thus, it helps in elevating the feeling of comparison, jealousy and hate. Being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or supreme power.

How to Practise Gratitude

Everyone can benefit from making an effort to practise gratitude in day-to-day life. It can be achieved simply by paying attention to the good things that happen to us. We must appreciate and accept the importance of everything in nature and our surroundings. Also, we should not forget to return the favour at an appropriate time. Whenever possible, we should thank the people around us, who make our lives comfortable, such as washermen, gardeners, security guards, sweepers, delivery men, etc. We should make a habit of thanking God when we wake up in the morning and before sleeping at night.

Gratitude is the best way to return the favour to God, nature, society, friends and relatives for the thousands of good deeds that they do for us.

We hope students must have found this “Essay on Gratitude” useful for their studies. To access more study material and get the latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive exams, keep visiting BYJU’S. Also, download the BYJU’S App for interactive study videos.

Frequently asked Questions on Gratitude Essay

How to show gratitude towards others.

You can show gratitude by thanking people who help you and being courteous and friendly. You can iInvite people over for lunch/dinner to thank them for something they did for you. Always listen intently to what others are saying to show appreciation and care.

Why is showing gratitude so important?

Psychologists show that there is a positive impact on the brain and body of people who show gratitude.

What are the benefits of showing gratitude?

Showing gratitude helps in emotional regulation by reducing stress and burnout. It also increases your mental resilience because you are able to build meaningful relations with others.

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5 real-life gratitude stories to inspire you.

Read the most inspirational journeys through gratitude

This is an image of a woman reading inspiring stories of gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a life-changing habit that takes commitment. We have to keep pushing ourselves every day to take time to feel grateful.

In the initial days, it is important to have sources of inspiration around us that give us a picture of how these small steps will bring big changes to our mindset.

One of the best ways to feel inspired and motivated is to look at other people who changed their life for the better by embracing the magic of gratitude. To read such stories every day, make sure to use the Daily Zen section of the Gratitude app .

Here are 5 real-life stories of how practicing gratitude can change your life:

Stories of gratitude

1.  shealing's story - gratitude will open the heart.

Illustration of a heart with a smile

"So I was meditating at the time, and in my meditation practice, I asked for guidance. I asked, "What can I do to help me? While I go through this with my husband, with my children? How do I stay strong? How do I get the strength? How do I do this?" And, the Universe said - Gratitude.

And at first, I was like, "What? Gratitude? No. Are you mocking me, Universe? My whole world is falling apart. And you're telling me to do gratitude." And I initially said, "No, thanks." But the thing is, I love how the universe is persistent. And it kept showing me gratitude.

It was showing up in my books, it was showing up in my conversations, it was showing up when I read my social media posts, it was just gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. So finally, I thought, okay, I will give gratitude a try. So I went looking for something, and that's when I found the Gratitude app. And then I started doing the gratitude."

Read Shealing’s full story here .

2.  Marcus' Story - My Children

Illustration of a purple shooting star

"I've had a complete transformation of my mind. So the first thing I'm grateful for is God. I do think that the next thing is the attitude of gratitude.

Because that's the thing that flipped my mind from complete negativity. I'm talking about it. And so I've just got a massive smile on my face. And I feel like I could carry on for the next two hours.

I'm grateful every single day. And I realize, my life was always like this. I always had this amount of stuff to be grateful for. But I missed it, I had this other set of glasses on and I couldn't see any of it."

Read Marcus' full story here .

3.  Stefan's Story - The turning point

Illustration of a pink shooting star

“I literally ran out of money, I lost everything. And I was preparing to not survive.

This was May of 2020. And I decided to make one last phone call to somebody who I thought I could trust with this idea I have for a startup.  I said, "Eric, would you please take this and run with it because I'm not going to survive."

I had to leave a voicemail message; he wasn't there. I said, "Would you please take my idea and grow it into the company that I've been dreaming of? Because I know you can do it. And I trust you. Thank you for doing this for me."

I was prepared at that point, you know, that was it. Five minutes later, he called me back.”

Read Stefan’s full story here .

gratitude narrative essay

4.  Susy's Story - This wandering mind

Illustration of a flower

"It wasn't easy starting over at 51. At the time I didn't realize I had schizophrenia. So I went on to battle in that without a diagnosis for about six years and I was homeless.

I lived homeless for a year and a half. I mean, literally under a tree at one point. And with the tarp over me, that journey was terrifying because I was clueless. I didn't know how to live, and you're dirty and you're just, it was terrifying.

But I kept in contact with my counselor and I was diagnosed. I was taken to Boulder to a mental hospital and they diagnosed me with schizophrenia and I've been on Invega. It's a shot that I get once a month.

And that made me turn my life around as far as the schizophrenia, you know? And I was then able to see that no, these voices aren't real, that what you're seeing is not real. And I was able to put the whole tragedy into perspective and deal with it."

Read Susy’s full story here .

5.  Margaret's Story - Exercise routine for the mind

Illustration of a pink bird

“I was sexually abused as a child. I had quite a traumatic childhood. I actually have only about three memories of being a child, and I have limited memories of being a teenager. I also now have limited memories of any past events.

So I'm very, very restricted in what I can remember, even birthdays or Christmases. So I can't remember last year's Christmas, you know, it's just a state of mind that I live in.

I had my son when I was 29. He was diagnosed at age four with ADHD, oppositional defiance disorder, dyslexia, and co-morbid anxiety and depression at the age of seven. He had to start psychiatric medication, which made it really difficult for me to cope with his behavior at home.”

Read Margaret’s full story here .

There you are! These were 5 of the many inspiring gratitude stories that our users have shared with us. You can read them all on the blog here.

Remember, good things take time. Anyone who sets out to bring changes in their life has to make consistent efforts to make them last.

You can do it too! Keep reading these stories on our Gratitude app to inspire yourself. Before you know it, practicing gratitude will start coming naturally to you.

Have a splendid day!

Aarushi Tewari

Aarushi Tewari

The writer and affirmations speaker at Gratitude, Aarushi believes that one of the most effective ways of feeling inner peace is by being grateful and having a loving self-relationship.

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Essays About Gratitude: Top 5 Examples and 7 Writing Prompts

Writing essays about gratitude is a way to show appreciation and recognize kindness. See our top examples and prompts you can use as a guide for your essay.

I’m not outspoken, and everyone close to me knows this. However, this one time, a family friend visited us and gave me a set of paintbrushes for my birthday. I thanked them, but that didn’t feel enough as they went out of their way to pick high-quality brushes and deliver them in person, even if we weren’t close. That kind lady wanted me to pursue my interest in painting, and I have felt grateful to her ever since. 

For those like me who can’t fully express gratitude through words, it becomes an intimidating task to even write about it. After all, essays about gratitude require finesse and sincerity that are hard to prove through pen and paper.

5 Essay Examples

1. the expression of gratitude by writer rosalyn, 2. a good life is a gratitude, meaning, and love by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 3. the magical power of gratitude and saying ‘thank you’ by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 4. essay on gratitude by anonymous on toppr.com  , 5. meaning and importance of gratitude by anonymous on mystudentsessay.com, 1. the true meaning of gratitude, 2. expressing gratitude, 3. the benefits of practicing gratitude, 4. culture and gratitude expression, 5. values and gratitude, 6. the boundaries of gratitude, 7. practicing gratitude: a day in my life.

“… Participants who expressed gratitude in a close relationship would have greater relationship satisfaction than those who did not express gratitude.”

The essay contains a compilation of information from various studies to discuss the effect of expressing gratitude verbally. Rosalyn discovers that the rate of relationship satisfaction increases after expressing gratitude and leads to lasting relationships and reduced divorce rates. 

Rosalyn notes how expressions of gratitude act as positive reinforcement, encouraging the recipient to be more inclined to agree to do favors. For instance, many sellers include gifts and discounts with purchases to express gratitude and cultivate repeat buyers.

“… A good life is a complex term with different meanings, but all the interpretations have a particular point in common – well-being is associated with gratitude, meaning, and love.”

The author defines the “good life” as spiritual contentment and shares their opinion and experiences as a clinical mental health counselor. They remark that gratefulness can signify healthy well-being since it means an individual is intent on what they have instead of what they don’t. Further, people filled with gratitude can find meaning in life in time and with practice. 

The counselor also mentions the importance of having someone who truly loves and cares for us to remind us to be grateful even in the darkest times of our lives. In conclusion, the writer reiterates that it’s complicated to define what a good life entails, but all definitions directly connect to gratitude, meaning, and love.

“I discovered a secret about life, and as a result of my discovery, one of the things I began to do was practice gratitude each day, to say “thank you!” more. As a result of this, everything in my life changed, and the more I practiced gratitude, the more miraculous were the result.”

To demonstrate the positive benefits of feeling and expressing gratitude, the author narrates their experiences in this short essay. They talk about their financial, relationship, and health problems and how they were all resolved when they started to be grateful. The writer considers this magical, but a change in their perception helped them overcome their problems.

“… Gratitude is the most essential human expression which proves that humans are sensible and have emotions. Moreover, this emotion does not just limit to humans but also animals. Often, we see them express their gratitude and return the favour.”

In this essay, the author identifies gratitude as a beautiful way of enriching our existence. It’s a vital skill that every person should learn and practice to invite goodness and get various benefits, such as stronger relationships and a happier outlook. The writer believes it’s crucial to always express gratitude to inspire others and remember that humans are emotional beings.

“Gratitude leads to feelings of happiness and satisfaction as it increases awareness that others have done something nice for you. As a result, gratitude and happiness become mutually reinforcing and build upon each other. Science shows that gratitude is a particular emotion, since it consists of a feeling of appreciation that does not require specific objects or actions which instigate it.”

This essay focuses on the importance and benefits of practicing gratitude which the author refers to as “the greatest gift to humanity.” Gratitude is vital as it helps us recognize positive and negative things to assist us in finding meaning and purpose in life. The author states that practicing mindfulness and meditation brings about gratitude that will improve various aspects of one’s life.

7 Prompts for Essays About Gratitude

Essays About Gratitude: The true meaning of gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most salient topics to write about and discuss. It’s a positive emotion we feel whenever we receive something that demonstrates the giver’s sincerity. Use this prompt to discuss the meaning of gratitude with your readers in two ways. First, explain its definition according to dictionaries and experts. Then use your personal experiences to illustrate what gratitude means to you.

“Thank you!” is a simple but effective phrase to express appreciation to those who try to improve your day. For this prompt, list more ways to express gratitude through verbal communication or actions. Add tips on showing gratitude while considering important factors such as the event or context, relationship to the recipient, and suitability of the method.

Focus your essay on the advantages one can get from practicing gratitude; use this prompt to encourage your readers to acknowledge the good things happening to them. Provide relevant research and examples that show the benefits of demonstrating gratitude.

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining what is persuasive writing .

Essays About Gratitude: Culture and gratitude expression

The environment an individual grows up in plays a big part in how they express gratitude. Explore different cultures worldwide and discuss how beliefs, religion, and culture can affect how groups display gratefulness. Show your reader’s how different cultures communicate gratitude, including the common reasons they do so. Then, share how you were taught to convey gratitude in your culture.

Exercising gratitude trains us to establish positive values such as enthusiasm and optimism. Use this prompt to identify and discuss the values ​​one can gain from learning about gratitude. Discuss the values you developed while practicing gratitude to make your essay relatable. You might also be interested in these essays about overcoming challenges .

Although gratitude is one of the most positive emotions we can experience, it should still be practiced within healthy boundaries. Such limitations should be applied when a person develops extreme beliefs involving gratitude. An example is over-optimism, where an individual becomes unrealistically optimistic to the point that they ignore the existence of their problems. In your essay, discuss how to practice gratitude in a way that positively influences your life.

In this essay, reflect on a typical day in your life and highlight the parts that make you feel thankful. This prompt will help you appreciate the trivial things in your life and teach your readers how to treasure even the minor things in their lives. For example, having the opportunity to wake up and live another day already deserves your gratitude. Discuss all the things that you are grateful for in this heartfelt essay.

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Gratitude Essay Examples

An essay on gratitude can be an excellent opportunity to reflect on the things in life that we often take for granted. It’s a chance to acknowledge the people, experiences, and things that have made a positive impact on our lives. If you’re struggling to get started, here are some gratitude essay examples and tips to help you craft a perfect essay on gratitude.

One way to approach an essay on gratitude is to reflect on specific instances where you’ve experienced gratitude in your life. For example, you might write about a time when someone went out of their way to help you or when you received unexpected kindness from a stranger. These examples can help you illustrate the power of gratitude in our lives and show how it can change our perspective on the world.

Another approach is to write about the benefits of gratitude. Research has shown that practicing gratitude can improve mental health, boost happiness, and even enhance physical health. You can explore these benefits in your essay and provide examples of how you’ve experienced them in your own life.

If you’re a college student, consider writing a gratitude college essay. In this essay, you can reflect on how college has shaped you and the opportunities it has provided. You might write about a professor who inspired you or a project that challenged you in new ways. By expressing gratitude for your college experience, you’ll be able to showcase your growth and appreciation for the opportunities you’ve had.

Overall, an essay on gratitude can be a powerful tool for personal growth and reflection. By exploring gratitude in your life, you’ll be able to recognize the good things that are often overlooked and find ways to cultivate more gratitude in your daily life. Use the gratitude essay examples and tips above to craft a perfect essay on gratitude and let your gratitude shine through your words.

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How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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Table of contents

What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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gratitude narrative essay

Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

  • Write a story about your first day of school.
  • Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

  • Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
  • Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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gratitude narrative essay

Narrative Essay with Tips - a Detailed Guide

gratitude narrative essay

Defining What Is a Narrative Essay

We can explain a narrative essay definition as a piece of writing that tells a story. It's like a window into someone's life or a page torn from a diary. Similarly to a descriptive essay, a narrative essay tells a story, rather than make a claim and use evidence. It can be about anything – a personal experience, a childhood memory, a moment of triumph or defeat – as long as it's told in a way that captures the reader's imagination.

You might ask - 'which sentence most likely comes from a narrative essay?'. Let's take this for example: 'I could hear the waves crashing against the shore, their rhythm a soothing lullaby that carried me off to sleep.' You could even use such an opening for your essay when wondering how to start a narrative essay.

To further define a narrative essay, consider it storytelling with a purpose. The purpose of a narrative essay is not just to entertain but also to convey a message or lesson in first person. It's a way to share your experiences and insights with others and connect with your audience. Whether you're writing about your first love, a harrowing adventure, or a life-changing moment, your goal is to take the reader on a journey that will leave them feeling moved, inspired, or enlightened.

So if you're looking for a way to express yourself creatively and connect with others through your writing, try your hand at a narrative essay. Who knows – you might just discover a hidden talent for storytelling that you never knew you had!

Meanwhile, let's delve into the article to better understand this type of paper through our narrative essay examples, topic ideas, and tips on constructing a perfect essay.

Types of Narrative Essays

If you were wondering, 'what is a personal narrative essay?', know that narrative essays come in different forms, each with a unique structure and purpose. Regardless of the type of narrative essay, each aims to transport the reader to a different time and place and to create an emotional connection between the reader and the author's experiences. So, let's discuss each type in more detail:

  • A personal narrative essay is based on one's unique experience or event. Personal narrative essay examples include a story about overcoming a fear or obstacle or reflecting on a particularly meaningful moment in one's life.
  • A fictional narrative is a made-up story that still follows the basic elements of storytelling. Fictional narratives can take many forms, from science fiction to romance to historical fiction.
  • A memoir is similar to personal narratives but focuses on a specific period or theme in a person's life. Memoirs might be centered around a particular relationship, a struggle with addiction, or a cultural identity. If you wish to describe your life in greater depth, you might look at how to write an autobiography .
  • A literacy narrative essay explores the writer's experiences with literacy and how it has influenced their life. The essay typically tells a personal story about a significant moment or series of moments that impacted the writer's relationship with reading, writing, or communication.

You might also be interested in discovering 'HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY'

Pros and Cons of Narrative Writing

Writing a narrative essay can be a powerful tool for self-expression and creative storytelling, but like any form of writing, it comes with its own set of pros and cons. Let's explore the pros and cons of narrative writing in more detail, helping you to decide whether it's the right writing style for your needs.

  • It can be a powerful way to convey personal experiences and emotions.
  • Allows for creative expression and unique voice
  • Engages the reader through storytelling and vivid details
  • It can be used to teach a lesson or convey a message.
  • Offers an opportunity for self-reflection and growth
  • It can be challenging to balance personal storytelling with the needs of the reader
  • It may not be as effective for conveying factual information or arguments
  • It may require vulnerability and sharing personal details that some writers may find uncomfortable
  • It can be subjective, as the reader's interpretation of the narrative may vary

If sharing your personal stories is not your cup of tea, you can buy essays online from our expert writers, who will customize the paper to your particular writing style and tone.

20 Excellent Narrative Essay Topics and How to Choose One

Choosing a good topic among many narrative essay ideas can be challenging, but some tips can help you make the right choice. Here are some original and helpful tips on how to choose a good narrative essay topic:

  • Consider your own experiences: One of the best sources of inspiration for a narrative essay is your own life experiences. Consider moments that have had a significant impact on you, whether they are positive or negative. For example, you could write about a memorable trip or a challenging experience you overcame.
  • Choose a topic relevant to your audience: Consider your audience and their interests when choosing a narrative essay topic. If you're writing for a class, consider what topics might be relevant to the course material. If you're writing for a broader audience, consider what topics might be interesting or informative to them.
  • Find inspiration in literature: Literature can be a great source of inspiration for a narrative essay. Consider the books or stories that have had an impact on you, and think about how you can incorporate elements of them into your own narrative. For example, you could start by using a title for narrative essay inspired by the themes of a favorite novel or short story.
  • Focus on a specific moment or event: Most narrative essays tell a story, so it's important to focus on a specific moment or event. For example, you could write a short narrative essay about a conversation you had with a friend or a moment of realization while traveling.
  • Experiment with different perspectives: Consider writing from different perspectives to add depth and complexity to your narrative. For example, you could write about the same event from multiple perspectives or explore the thoughts and feelings of a secondary character.
  • Use writing prompts: Writing prompts can be a great source of inspiration if you struggle to develop a topic. Consider using a prompt related to a specific theme, such as love, loss, or growth.
  • Choose a topic with rich sensory details: A good narrative essay should engage the senses and create a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Choose a topic with rich sensory details that you can use to create a vivid description. For example, you could write about a bustling city's sights, sounds, and smells.
  • Choose a topic meaningful to you: Ultimately, the best narrative essays are meaningful to the writer. Choose a topic that resonates with you and that you feel passionate about. For example, you could write about a personal goal you achieved or a struggle you overcame.

Here are some good narrative essay topics for inspiration from our experts:

  • A life-changing event that altered your perspective on the world
  • The story of a personal accomplishment or achievement
  • An experience that tested your resilience and strength
  • A time when you faced a difficult decision and how you handled it
  • A childhood memory that still holds meaning for you
  • The impact of a significant person in your life
  • A travel experience that taught you something new
  • A story about a mistake or failure that ultimately led to growth and learning
  • The first day of a new job or school
  • The story of a family tradition or ritual that is meaningful to you
  • A time when you had to confront a fear or phobia
  • A memorable concert or music festival experience
  • An experience that taught you the importance of communication or listening
  • A story about a time when you had to stand up for what you believed in
  • A time when you had to persevere through a challenging task or project
  • A story about a significant cultural or societal event that impacted your life
  • The impact of a book, movie, or other work of art on your life
  • A time when you had to let go of something or someone important to you
  • A memorable encounter with a stranger that left an impression on you
  • The story of a personal hobby or interest that has enriched your life

Narrative Format and Structure

The narrative essay format and structure are essential elements of any good story. A well-structured narrative can engage readers, evoke emotions, and create lasting memories. Whether you're writing a personal essay or a work of fiction, the following guidelines on how to write a narrative essay can help you create a compelling paper:

narrative essay

  • Introduction : The introduction sets the scene for your story and introduces your main characters and setting. It should also provide a hook to capture your reader's attention and make them want to keep reading. When unsure how to begin a narrative essay, describe the setting vividly or an intriguing question that draws the reader in.
  • Plot : The plot is the sequence of events that make up your story. It should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, with each part building on the previous one. The plot should also have a clear conflict or problem the protagonist must overcome.
  • Characters : Characters are the people who drive the story. They should be well-developed and have distinct personalities and motivations. The protagonist should have a clear goal or desire, and the antagonist should provide a challenge or obstacle to overcome.
  • Setting : The setting is the time and place the story takes place. It should be well-described and help to create a mood or atmosphere that supports the story's themes.
  • Dialogue : Dialogue is the conversation between characters. It should be realistic and help to reveal the characters' personalities and motivations. It can also help to move the plot forward.
  • Climax : The climax is the highest tension or conflict point in the story. It should be the turning point that leads to resolving the conflict.
  • Resolution : The resolution is the end of the story. It should provide a satisfying conclusion to the conflict and tie up any loose ends.

Following these guidelines, you can create a narrative essay structure that engages readers and leaves a lasting impression. Remember, a well-structured story can take readers on a journey and make them feel part of the action.

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Narrative Essay Outline

Here is a detailed narrative essay outline from our custom term paper writing :

Introduction

A. Hook: Start with an attention-grabbing statement, question, or anecdote that introduces the topic and draws the reader in. Example: 'The sun beat down on my skin as I stepped onto the stage, my heart pounding with nervous excitement.'

B. Background information: Provide context for the story, such as the setting or the characters involved. Example: 'I had been preparing for this moment for weeks, rehearsing my lines and perfecting my performance for the school play.'

C. Thesis statement: State the essay's main point and preview the events to come. Example: 'This experience taught me that taking risks and stepping outside my comfort zone can lead to unexpected rewards and personal growth.'

Body Paragraphs

A. First event: Describe the first event in the story, including details about the setting, characters, and actions. Example: 'As I delivered my first lines on stage, I felt a rush of adrenaline and a sense of pride in my hard work paying off.'

B. Second event: Describe the second event in the story, including how it builds on the first event and moves the story forward. Example: 'As the play progressed, I became more comfortable in my role and connecting with the other actors on stage.'

C. Turning point: Describe the turning point in the story, when something unexpected or significant changes the course of events. Example: 'In the final act, my character faced a difficult decision that required me to improvise and trust my instincts.'

D. Climax: Describe the story's climax, the highest tension or conflict point. Example: 'As the play reached its climax, I delivered my final lines with confidence and emotion, feeling a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.'

A. Restate thesis: Summarize the essay's main point and how the events in the story support it. Example: 'Through this experience, I learned that taking risks and pushing past my comfort zone can lead to personal growth and unexpected rewards.'

B. Reflection: Reflect on the significance of the experience and what you learned from it. Example: 'Looking back, I realize that this experience not only taught me about acting and performance but also about the power of perseverance and self-belief.'

C. Call to action: if you're still wondering how to write an essay conclusion , consider ending it with a call to action or final thought that leaves the reader with something to consider or act on. Example: 'I encourage everyone to take risks and embrace new challenges because you never know what kind of amazing experiences and growth they may lead to.

You might also be interested in getting detailed info on 'HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY CONCLUSION'

Narrative Essay Examples

Are you looking for inspiration for your next narrative essay? Look no further than our narrative essay example. Through vivid storytelling and personal reflections, this essay takes the reader on a journey of discovery and leaves them with a powerful lesson about the importance of compassion and empathy. Use this sample from our expert essay writer as a guide for crafting your own narrative essay, and let your unique voice and experiences shine through.

Narrative Essay Example for College

College professors search for the following qualities in their students:

  • the ability to adapt to different situations,
  • the ability to solve problems creatively,
  • and the ability to learn from mistakes.

Your work must demonstrate these qualities, regardless of whether your narrative paper is a college application essay or a class assignment. Additionally, you want to demonstrate your character and creativity. Describe a situation where you have encountered a problem, tell the story of how you came up with a unique approach to solving it, and connect it to your field of interest. The narrative can be exciting and informative if you present it in such fashion.

Narrative Essay Example for High School

High school is all about showing that you can make mature choices. You accept the consequences of your actions and retrieve valuable life lessons. Think of an event in which you believe your actions were exemplary and made an adult choice. A personal narrative essay example will showcase the best of your abilities. Finally, use other sources to help you get the best results possible. Try searching for a sample narrative essay to see how others have approached it.

Final Words

So now that you know what is a narrative essay you might want to produce high-quality paper. For that let our team of experienced writers help. Our research paper writing service offers a range of professional writing services that cater to your unique needs and requirements, from narrative essays to medical personal statement , also offering dissertation help and more.

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5 Strong UPenn “Thank You” Essay Examples

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  • Where to Get Feedback on your UPenn Essays

Founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania is one of the eight Ivy League institutions. Its beautiful campus features unique red-and-green-brick buildings, gorgeous tree-lined paths, and lots of tributes to Ben Franklin. In addition to its elite academics, UPenn is also known for its thriving student life–it’s even nicknamed “the social Ivy.” UPenn also enjoys the benefits of being situated in the heart of Philadelphia, just a stone’s throw from myriad museums, gardens, cathedrals, and historic sites, including Independence Hall.

Between its superb academics, vibrant social scene, and prime location, UPenn is one of the most competitive schools in the country. As a result, your essays need to shine, to set you apart from other smart, talented applicants. In this post, we’ll break down five responses to UPenn’s “Thank You” supplemental prompt, which was just added during the 2022-2023 applications cycle. We’ll lay out what each essay did well, and any areas for improvement.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Read our UPenn essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

UPenn “Thank You” Prompt

The following essays respond to this prompt:

Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150 – 200 words)

Since this prompt is a recent addition to UPenn’s list of supplements, and doesn’t fit neatly into one of the classic supplemental essay boxes (like “Why School?” or “Why Major?” , you may not be quite sure where to start. To help you out, we’ve compiled five responses real students wrote to this prompt. You can read the essays below, and get our breakdowns of each one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Dear Mrs. Peterson,

After finishing my drawing of Timothée Chalamet this semester, I was stunned by its beauty—it was one of the first pieces that I was proud of. Because of the debacle with the charcoal drawing of my sister last year, I avoided drawing another human. Yet, you persisted in encouraging me to tackle this challenge; from achieving Timothée’s chiseled cheekbones to highlighting his curls, you always stood by my side—even when I wanted to quit.

Honing my artistic abilities was only a portion of what you taught me. You always encouraged me to be vulnerable, and I am gratified by our insightful conversations. From consoling me through the stress of finals to supporting my aspirations of becoming a lawyer, you never wavered in listening to my stories. You weren’t just my art teacher, but my shoulder.

I am inspired by how you lead your life with compassion and authenticity. Watching you build a community through dialogue furthered my own love of interaction as an instrument to foster connection. Thank you for being my guidepost. You made a home for me in your class, and it saddens me that I will be leaving it soon.

Gratefully,

Future Empathetic Lawyer

What the Essay Did Well

A strong hook is an essential part of any essay, to really draw a reader into the story. This writer does an excellent job immediately grabbing our attention by describing a tangible object that represents why they are thankful to their art teacher, which is a far more powerful technique than just saying something general like “You have made me a much better artist.”

The drawing of Timothée Chalamet also serves as an anchor for the traits the writer wants to highlight about themselves, such as risk-taking (taking on the challenge of drawing “his chiseled cheekbones…[and] curls” ) and perseverance ( “you always stood by my side” ). Remember that showing your reader something about yourself, through a tangible example like an art project, makes your points far more convincing than just telling them you are a certain way, as then you’re just leaving them to take your word for it.

The writer also seamlessly transitions from talking about their drawing to talking about how their art teacher has helped them in general, with the line “Honing my artistic abilities was only a portion of what you taught me.” This line provides the perfect jumping-off point for the writer to show us how their teacher has supported them in non-art contexts as well.

Finally, in a big-picture sense, the writer strikes a great balance between highlighting their art teacher’s virtues, and how those virtues have helped them grow and develop their own personality. With this prompt, there’s a risk that you end up talking too much about the person you’re thanking, and not enough about yourself–remember, you’re the one admissions officers are trying to make a decision about! But this writer avoids that pitfall by always connecting the things they admire in their art teacher to qualities they have developed themselves.

What Could Be Improved

There is not much room for improvement in this essay. The author directly connects the values they have learned from their art teacher to tangible experiences, which ensures their essay will stand out even from other essays written about teachers.

The only point in the essay that reads a little strangely is the inclusion of the word “empathetic” in the student’s signature. Although we can read between the lines that they learned empathy from their teacher, that actually isn’t a value they name outright. They do highlight vulnerability, compassion, authenticity, and connection, so to make the end of the essay feel more cohesive, they could either replace “empathetic” with something like “compassionate,” or just make sure they do explicitly include empathy in the body of the essay.

Dear Mr. Gonzalez,

I want to take a moment to thank you for the encouragement and support you have given me throughout my high school career. You have been a great teacher and mentor, and I am lucky to have you in my life.

However, I would especially like to thank you for helping me discover my gifts and turning them into abilities. All my life, I have been told that my love of talking with anyone and everyone was an annoyance at best and a flaw at worst. You decided to turn this “flaw” into one of my greatest joys. You taught me how to meticulously craft words and introduced me to rhetoric. Before, I never noticed how perfectly my skill for speaking and writing played into my other skills and talents.

You helped me learn that I grow best when thrust into high-pressure situations. The speeches and the competitions you signed me up for made me incredibly nervous but also incredibly proud.

You taught me that anything you love can be used to bring you happiness, and, more importantly, to help others.

Much appreciative,

This student uses this letter to say a touching, genuine thank you to a teacher who has helped them “turn [a] ‘flaw’ into one of [their] greatest joys.” Rather than highlighting a more generic trait like work ethic, the writer chooses a core value that shows they are able to deeply reflect on how they became the person they are, and how this teacher helped them with that development.

The writer’s impressive ability for introspection is also shown by their description of how their loquaciousness has always been a part of them (which we understand from the line “All my life” ), but their teacher was the first person to help that quality blossom. Rather than framing the essay around a quality that someone else taught them directly, they show that they understand growth can happen in a variety of ways, which in turn shows that they are a mature, emotionally intelligent person.

The author begins their essay very generically, by thanking their teacher for “encouragement and support” and saying that he is a “great teacher and mentor.” Remember, the point of any college essay is to help distinguish yourself from other applicants, and these lines could have been plucked from just about anybody’s “Thank You” essay.

Especially given the low word count, the student should use each sentence purposefully, rather than wasting space on general pleasantries. They would be better off starting the letter with the line “I would like to thank you for helping me discover my gifts and turning them into abilities.” As noted above, this personal, specific reason they are grateful to their teacher is really the heart of the essay, and thus should be given as much attention as possible.

Along the same lines, cutting the general introductions at the beginning would also give the writer more space to explain how their teacher helped them become more confident in their gifts. Rather than just saying that he “taught [them] how to meticulously craft words and introduced [them] to rhetoric,” the writer should provide us with an anecdote that shows what their teacher did specifically to improve their speaking and writing skills. This might look something like:

“I will never forget breaking down some of history’s most famous speeches with you, from the Gettysburg Address to ‘I Have a Dream,’ and slowly starting to understand how I could use these great orators’ techniques myself.”

Likewise, in the third paragraph, the student should provide context for how they reacted to high-pressure situations before their teacher started signing them up for speeches and competitions. They could include something along the lines of “In the past, I always shied away from the spotlight and never felt confident enough to pursue my passion for public speaking, but your faith in my talents pushed me to break past my mental boundaries.” By telling us what the student was like before meeting Mr. Gonzalez, this line emphasizes the importance of the lesson they learned from him.

Finally, in the last sentence of the letter, the student says that their teacher has taught them “to help others.” However, the essay never discussed helping others, so this lesson comes out of nowhere. Especially in the conclusion, you want to be sure that the points you make are supported by the rest of the essay. In the case of this student, that means they would be better off just sticking with the line “You taught me that anything you love can be used to bring you happiness,” as that is a quality they have discussed in detail.

I’ll always remember the times you corrected our Arabic-speaking friends when they greeted you with Abu Jack [Jack’s father] instead of Abu Julia [Julia’s father], proudly breaking the patriarchal tradition of referring to parents by the name of their eldest son, even when their first child is a daughter. Despite our disagreements on everything from economics to foreign policy, your simultaneous open-mindedness and commitment to your values remind me to appreciate intellectual plurality grounded in respect.

Thank you for motivating me to constantly learn more with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world. For inspiring me to see beauty in language, history, literature, and science. For strengthening my empathy through every late-night dinner debate. For spending hours discussing each book we share, from Sapiens to Sophie’s World.

Please never stop asking me for advice on your poetry to gauge whether your metaphors translate to English. Never lose the softness in your heart that makes you cry while we watch Coco for the third time because it reminds you of your family. Keep reminding me to “demand evidence and think critically,” even though I tease you for buying a sweatshirt plastered with the phrase.

Your mini-you

Although many other applicants are likely to write letters to parents or other family members, this writer ensures her essay will still stand out by structuring her essay around stories and anecdotes that are personal to her relationship with her dad. Her father’s rejection of a “patriarchal tradition,” two specific examples of books they have read together, and her description of one of his favorite sweatshirts all show what makes their connection different from any other between a father and daughter.

More broadly, these personal anecdotes help readers understand this writer’s background as a whole, not just her relationship with her dad. The essays are admissions officers’ number one resource for understanding how you’ll fit into their campus community as a person, not just a student, and this essay gives us a clear sense of the intellect and compassion this writer would contribute to late night conversations with her roommate, interactions with the dining hall staff, and all the other “little moments” that truly define a college experience.

Unfortunately, this essay falls into the trap outlined in our breakdown of Essay Example 1: we learn more about the author’s dad than we do about her. We know he breaks patriarchal tradition, has encyclopedia-like knowledge, loves poetry, and gets emotional when watching the movie Coco, but we don’t learn anything concrete about this student’s values, only that she admires these qualities in him.

To improve this, the author can reframe some of her ideas to be more focused on herself. For example, take the paragraph:

“Thank you for motivating me to constantly learn more with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world. For inspiring me to see beauty in language, history, literature, and science. For strengthening my empathy through every late-night dinner debate. For spending hours discussing each book we share, from Sapiens to Sophie’s World.”

Instead of spending most of the space highlighting her father’s virtues, she should rephrase this paragraph to be grounded in actions she has taken as a result of feeling inspired by her father. This could look something like:

“Your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world has motivated me to linger by paintings in museums for a few seconds longer, to make sure I fully grasp the artist’s intentions, give Moby Dick a second chance even though I couldn’t get past the third chapter on my first attempt, and start self-studying Italian.”

As you can see, fleshing out her ideas in this way will take up space, and right now the essay covers too much ground for her to do this for each point she makes: she touches on Arabic culture, disagreements they have had, films and books they’ve enjoyed together, and general values she has learned from her father like empathy.

Narrowing her focus will give her the space she needs to make the essay more personal, and also communicate in a more cohesive way what her dad has taught her, as right now readers might leave feeling confused about what the most important lesson she has learned from him is. Choosing just one or two things to focus on will make the essay feel more unified.

Dear Mrs. Charles,

Entering your classroom, it was the lively music that drew me in, yet it would be your energetic voice that would hook me into the countless lessons about history for the next nine months. There was no dull moment, only excitement and the curiosity to learn more. You have instilled beyond knowledge, but more importantly, the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me. You looked out for me even when I was too insecure about my residential status to ask for help. With my first ever letter of recommendation, you have since advocated for my academic career. Amidst overwhelming college applications, I sobbed reading your note, “Good Luck My Perfect young woman – You deserve the world!” You continuously believe in my potential, and that faith has emboldened me to be the resilient woman I am today. Thank you, Mrs. Charles, for encouraging me when things seemed impossible, mentoring me when I was lost, and strengthening my confidence when no one was there. It has been an honor to be your student, and I cannot wish for any other teachers to have changed my life this way.

This student’s genuine gratitude towards her teacher comes across in her strong personal voice, which is reflected in engaging lines like “there was no dull moment” and “the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me.” We can tell that the student’s appreciation for her teacher comes from moments that were truly formative for her, and that authenticity wins us over by pulling at our heartstrings with strong word choices and phrasings.

Although this essay does a great job of expressing the emotional depth of this student’s relationship with her teacher, it lacks the specific details to evidence how this relationship has grown over time. For example, the student writes:

“You have instilled beyond knowledge, but more importantly, the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me. You looked out for me even when I was too insecure about my residential status to ask for help.”

While these lines are compelling, and speak to how the teacher looks out for the writer as an individual, not just a student, we don’t get any details about how she “instilled beyond knowledge” or “looked out for” the student. An anecdote that provides some of those details would give us a clearer sense of why this relationship is so meaningful to this student. That might look something like:

“You went out of your way to meet with me every week as I prepared for my mock debate on the pros and cons of the American public education system, a system that, as an immigrant, I had always admired. I had been too nervous about my residential status to ask you for help understanding the points my peers knew instinctively, and so it meant the world to me when you asked me to join you for a snack at your desk after class one day. This discrete support made me feel simultaneously looked out for and empowered.”

Finally, this essay would look better on the page if it were split into two or even three paragraphs. A huge block of text on the page can be daunting, and you don’t want to turn off your readers before they even start. Plus, breaking up your ideas into smaller paragraphs can also make your essay easier to understand, as your reader can focus on one point at a time, rather than trying to keep everything in mind simultaneously as they’re reading.

Also on a structural level, the writer should have a signature of some kind. If you were writing a note to someone in a non-college essay context, you wouldn’t leave it unsigned. So, while it’s a small detail, to be true to what the prompt is asking, this student should include a signature.

Dear Mrs. King,

Even though it has been five years since I’ve stepped into your English classroom at Harrison Middle, I remember the sound of your enthusiastic voice and genuine smile like it was yesterday.

Your energy was contagious and your quick wittedness unmatched. The way you effortlessly enthralled the entire class with your love for writing is something I will never forget. When you organized a classwide debate based on our argumentative essay topics, you captivated everyone to the point where enthusiastic shouts bounced off the walls of the room.

You made us feel warm and comfortable. As a rigorous teacher and thinker, your lessons impacted me in and out of the classroom. The door to your classroom was always open if I needed advice, helping me navigate everything from friendships to high school applications. In your presence, I felt like a friend instead of a student, because that was just your comforting nature. Thank you for the moments with you in middle school that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Warm regards,

This essay’s greatest strength is the author’s use of vibrant, playful language, which helps readers vicariously feel Mrs. King’s enthusiasm and energy. For example, the “enthusiastic shouts bouncing off walls” and feeling “like a friend instead of a student, because that was just your comforting nature” drop us right into Mrs. King’s classroom, and allow us to vicariously understand why this student respects her so much.

This essay’s biggest issue is that most of the writer’s points are very generic, and could have been written by anyone, about any teacher. The point of this prompt is to highlight certain aspects of your personality by describing values you have learned from someone else, but the details we get about Mrs. King are very surface-level, like the sound of her voice, smile, and love for writing. As a result, we don’t learn much about either the teacher’s personality or how she has impacted the writer.

The author should instead include stories that show us specific values and lessons they have learned from this teacher. For example, the line “As a rigorous teacher and thinker, your lessons impacted me in and out of the classroom,” could be about nearly anything. To make this line more informative, the writer needs to get much more specific about what their point is, along the lines of:

“When you took us on a field trip to see a production of Hamlet which had recast Ophelia as a man, you challenged me to reconsider how societal standards, which I like to think I’m able to transcend, unavoidably impact my interpretation of literature.”

This version both identifies a particular aspect of the writer’s personality (their ability to push back on preconceived ideas) and something specific Mrs. King did to help them develop that aspect. As a result, admissions officers now get what they really care about: information about who this student is, and how they would fit in at their school.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay

Want feedback on your UPenn “Thank You” essay before you submit? That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Thank You — The Magical Power of Gratitude and Saying ‘Thank You!’

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The Magical Power of Gratitude and Saying 'Thank You!'

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gratitude narrative essay

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Gratitude in Health Care: A Meta-narrative Review

1 Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

2 School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Glenn Robert

Anne marie rafferty, associated data.

Supplemental material, Metanarrative_Table_Revised_Supplementary_File for Gratitude in Health Care: A Meta-narrative Review by Giskin Day, Glenn Robert and Anne Marie Rafferty in Qualitative Health Research

Supplemental material, Supplementary_figure_1 for Gratitude in Health Care: A Meta-narrative Review by Giskin Day, Glenn Robert and Anne Marie Rafferty in Qualitative Health Research

Research into gratitude as a significant sociological and psychological phenomenon has proliferated in the past two decades. However, there is little consensus on how it should be conceptualized or investigated empirically. We present a meta-narrative review that focuses on gratitude in health care, with an emphasis on research exploring interpersonal experiences in the context of care provision. Six meta-narratives from literatures across the humanities, sciences, and medicine are identified, contextualized, and discussed: gratitude as social capital; gifts; care ethics; benefits of gratitude; gratitude and staff well-being; and gratitude as an indicator of quality of care. Meta-narrative review was a valuable framework for making sense of theoretical antecedents and findings in this developing area of research. We conclude that greater attention needs to be given to what constitutes “evidence” in gratitude research and call for qualitative studies to better understand and shape the role and implications of gratitude in health care.

Introduction

In recent years, gratitude has emerged as a compelling component of psychological and physical well-being ( Yoshimura & Berzins, 2017 ). Research has burgeoned. The surge in attention has been attributed to renewed scrutiny of virtue ethics in moral philosophy ( Gulliford et al., 2013 ), the rise of positive psychology as an academic discipline ( McConnell, 2016 ), and the potential role for gratitude practices in addressing psychopathologies (e.g., Duprey et al., 2018 ).

Gratitude research is still in the nascent phase of development as a topic—partly because there is no consensus on whether gratitude is primarily a moral quality or whether its value resides in the acts of expression and reception of gratitude. Gratitude has multiple statuses as, among others, an emotion, a character trait, a psychological characteristic, a material gesture, and a politeness response. Accordingly, views diverge on how it should be constructed in theory or approached as a topic for empirical investigation ( Gulliford et al., 2013 ). In the history of ideas, gratitude has been approached from multiple perspectives, including psychology, philosophy, theology, sociology, anthropology, humanitarian studies, and positive organizational scholarship. Drawing on these intellectual traditions, we present a meta-narrative review of current research on gratitude which focuses on the context of health care interactions. We provide a portrait of gratitude research in health care, highlighting areas that have led to new insights and suggesting areas that would benefit from further development.

Objectives and Focus for Review

The objective of this review—the first meta-narrative review of gratitude in the context of care-giving relationships—is to identify theoretical frameworks that have shaped scholarship in the expression and reception of gratitude to draw out common threads and show areas of divergent thinking. Our focus on health care is predicated on the premise that gratitude is context dependent: values, policies, and practices all shape the ways in which gratitude is expressed, received, welcomed, or withheld. While gratitude can be expressed to inanimate objects ( Boleyn-Fitzgerald, 2016 ), the “standard view” is that gratitude describes an interpersonal relationship in which it is a response to a benefit provided by a benefactor ( Shaw, 2013 ). This justifies our attention to literature that explores gratitude in the context of interpersonal relationships and capacity building within health care.

The Meta-narrative Approach

Meta-narrative literature review is a method for synthesizing and conceptualizing research approaches to topics that have been studied by different groups of researchers ( Wong et al., 2013 ). It is a semi-systematic approach that retains the interpretive engagement, inductive reasoning, and cross-interrogation of the narrative review for which Thorne (2019) has recently advocated. The meta-narrative method, originally proposed and developed by Greenhalgh et al. (2004 , 2005 ), has proved useful for making sense of topics that transcend disciplinary boundaries. The review followed the RAMESES (Realist And MEta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards) publication standard. The standard outlines the phases that researchers should undertake in planning and executing a meta-narrative review. Guiding principles are pragmatism, pluralism, historicity, contestation, reflexivity, and peer review ( Wong et al., 2013 ).

Scoping the Literature

The initial process of exploratory scoping of the literature involved thinking broadly about the topic of gratitude and how it manifested in research paradigms within the disciplines with which it has been associated. From this overview, we familiarized ourselves with the way different authors conceptualized gratitude, and which empirical research and theoretical ideas were considered significant by multiple authors. This is analogous to a “territory mapping” exercise ( Wong et al., 2013 ). To assemble the boundaries of the review, we focused on peer-reviewed scholarly journals, requiring included articles to have a discernible aim and findings and/or recommendations in which gratitude was elaborated in the context of health care. Second, gratitude needed to be addressed as a concept in this article, either through an implicit or explicit definition, or situating it within a theoretical framework.

Search and Selection Process

Three databases, chosen to reflect a range of scholarly sources, were searched from their inception to November 2019: ProQuest includes 23 databases that cover social sciences, arts and humanities, and nursing; PubMed covers journals and books in the life sciences and biomedicine; and Academic Search Complete was chosen because of its multidisciplinary content.

Search strategies were complicated by “gratitude” frequently being used in the acknowledgment sections of articles (e.g., a full-text search of the database ProQuest for “gratitude” reveals nearly 1.5 million documents). Restricting the search to article titles was an effective way of identifying articles that specifically dealt with gratitude as a point of focus for the article. We added the term “healthcare” OR (“health” AND “care”) in the full-text search. A set of 191 articles was returned from this first run of the e-search strategy (June 2019).

Once duplicates had been merged, 160 articles were identified as potentially suitable for inclusion. We screened the articles using the following criteria:

  • Does the article deal with gratitude as a concept?
  • Does the article deal with gratitude in a health care context?
  • Is the article from a source likely to yield substantive content (e.g., peer-reviewed journal rather than newsletter or magazine)?
  • Is there enough substantive content (gratitude is defined, theorized and/or discussed) to be worth analyzing?

Forty-nine articles met these criteria and were initially included in the analysis. However, once data extraction began, it became evident that there was an anomaly in the use of the term “health care” during the sifting phase. An approach that included health care as a setting rather than a practice led to a predominance of articles in the field of health psychology in which many of the articles employed what might be termed “drive-through gratitude”: the inclusion of an instrument—generally the self-report questionnaire Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form (GQ-6; McCullough et al., 2002 )—among a battery of other surveys without adequate justification or conceptual consideration. We therefore placed more emphasis on the care part of “health care” so that the relational aspects in which we had a particular interest were afforded sufficient profile. Clinical settings were not a prerequisite for inclusion, but all the included studies involved a therapeutic context (in practice or in professional development) in which gratitude was implicated in care relationships.

The revisiting of sifting criteria 2 and 4 with a critical eye led to a more robust dataset that fulfilled the “pluralism” criterion for a meta-narrative review as identified by Greenhalgh et al. (2005) . A further 24 articles were excluded, leaving 25 articles included from the first systematic search. A rerun of the search strategy in November 2019 led to a further seven recently published articles being included. Promising-looking citations were followed-up which, once screened, led to the addition of 24 further articles. A total of 56 studies were included in the final review (the process is summarized in Supplementary Figure 1 , and all included articles are given in Supplementary Table 1 ).

Data Extraction

The following characteristics were recorded in a data extraction form: aim of the study; definition of gratitude (along with whether this was explicit or implicit); the theoretical underpinnings of the article; academic discipline; whether it was a commentary/editorial, qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods article; methods used (if any); study setting and participants; whether gratitude was expressed or received; the nature of any gratitude intervention; if quantitative, which instrument was used; the article’s focus; and findings and/or recommendations ( Supplementary Table 1 ).

Analysis and Synthesis

We independently noted the characteristics that were descriptive of the research traditions, or fields of study, to which we felt the included articles belonged. These were either specific academic disciplines with associated methods (e.g., positive psychology or sociology), or context-driven scholarship (e.g., health education, policy). For articles that were vague about their paradigms and conceptual modeling of gratitude, an examination of implicit definitions and methodological framing helped to align the research within particular traditions.

The meta-narratives were arrived at through independent inductive coding initially and then an iterative process of discussion and review among the authors to refine the list of potential meta-narratives to ones that we most confidently felt described the body of work under review. We took into account the theoretical underpinnings that the articles referred to, key authors or studies cited as informing the article’s approach, and the ways in which findings were framed, paying careful attention to any imagery and metaphors used. Having assigned each article to at least one meta-narrative, we mapped each article’s focus and disciplinary orientations, acknowledging that the characteristics could not be exhaustive and allowing for some articles to fit more than one meta-narrative.

Article Characteristics

Although no date limits were imposed on the search criteria, all the included articles date from 2000 onwards with most published after 2013. Ten of the included articles were editorials or commentaries, 20 presented qualitative research, 16 quantitative research, and 10 used mixed methods. Of the articles included, 31 gave an explicit definition of gratitude. These most often cited a definition by Emmons and McCullough (2003) or a variation of this in which gratitude is thought of as a generalized tendency to notice and experience appreciation for the good in daily lives or a response to a benefit received. Other characteristics are reported in Supplementary Table 1 and Figure 1 .

Main Findings

The meta-narratives we identified are arranged below according to the chronology of their theoretical antecedents. This gives a sense of the evolution of distinct but related research traditions that have shaped each narrative.

Meta-narrative 1: Gratitude as Social Capital

The term “social capital” is thought to have first been used by Hanifan (1916) who defined it as assets that “count for most in the daily lives of a people, namely goodwill, fellowship, mutual sympathy and social intercourse among a group of individuals and families who make up a social unit” (p. 130). Since then, sociologists—including those working in health care (see Derose & Varda, 2009 and Jaye et al., 2018 )– have made much use of the metaphor of “capital” to refer to intangible qualities, like gratitude, that can be thought of as being accrued or expended in particular circumstances.

Many of the studies included in this meta-narrative reported that the accumulation of social capital through gratitude empowers and motivates recipients through strengthening social bonds, encouraging social connectedness, and predicting willingness to reciprocate. Gratitude as empowering is elaborated in particular in Algoe and Stanton (2012) , Buetow and Aroll (2012) , Day (2019) , Kindt et al. (2017) , and O’Brien et al. (2014) . However, for those obligated to expend social capital through gratitude for care, autonomy is eroded. The pernicious effects of a grateful consciousness are discussed specifically in Galvin (2004) and Kenworthy (2014) —these two articles are also allocated to the “care ethics” meta-narrative in which the relationship between gratitude and power relations is elaborated more fully.

Two articles, Buetow and Aroll (2012) and Mpinganjira (2019) , directly refer to social capital. Buetow and Aroll describe gratitude as a form of social capital which supports “a contribution-based morality” (p. 2064), and that can add “joy and meaning” to a doctor’s work while strengthening social ties. In contrast, Mpinganjira constructs gratitude, not as a form of social capital per se, but as an emotion that mediates the relationship between social capital and willingness to reciprocate. Drawing on the disciplinary perspective of resource-exchange theory, she argues that managers of virtual health communities can instrumentalize gratitude as a strategy to stimulate knowledge sharing on their sites.

This body of research often describes a temporal dimension in which gratitude can be “carried over” from one time point to another. Kindt et al. (2017) , for example, use a framework of self-determination theory to contextualize their findings that the partners of chronic pain patients are more motivated to provide help after their partners are perceived as being grateful. Similarly, in a wide-ranging, nuanced analysis of the experiences of heart transplant patients, O’Brien et al. (2014) shows that “giving back by giving forward” is a common phenomenon in which donor recipients often express their gratitude by participating in support groups and research, and through advocacy.

The language of reciprocity, using economic metaphors, features strongly across all the articles in this meta-narrative. The philosopher Claudia Card likens the balance metaphor to “moral bookkeeping” in formulations of gratitude common in moral ethics ( C. Card, 1988 , p. 116). She explores obligation as a means to understanding gratitude as part of the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, a concept which underpinned many of the articles included in this meta-narrative. Card notes that the debtor paradigm of obligation is a paradox: one cannot repay a debt of gratitude without transforming it into a transaction in which gratitude instinctively has no place. Critiquing moral economics, she maintains that unpayable debts in this paradigm, where reciprocity is not practical or desirable—as is often the case in health care—make the sense of obligation problematically unresolvable. This position is supported by the research we reviewed that engaged with the meta-narrative of social capital: while economics metaphors are prevalent in the discourse of gratitude, the way it plays out in practice in health care is much more psychologically and philosophically subtle than the metaphor of “capital” suggests.

In this meta-narrative, gratitude is construed as a moral incentive to reciprocity, or a persistent “debt” when reciprocity is not possible. Although social capital is intangible, these studies show that it does have material consequences for the dynamics of human relationships and social behaviors. The meta-narrative of gifts, discussed next, is also concerned with reciprocity, but here gifts are tangible: they are the giving and receiving of material goods, physical tokens of appreciation, or—controversially—gifts of money.

Meta-narrative 2: Gifts

Theory underpinning human behavior in relation to gifts is dominated by Marcel Mauss’s influential 1925 essay on gifts ( Mauss, 2000 , f.p. as Essai sur le don ). Mauss argued that gifts are never disinterested: the expectation of return is what consolidates social ties in gift-giving relationships. Gifts are not inevitably associated with gratitude, and gratitude does not demand a gift, but much gift-giving does go on in health care settings and this raises ethical issues (see Drew et al., 1983 , for discussion of gifts to doctors, and Morse, 1989 , 1991 for gifts to nurses). There is a large literature associated with gift-giving, of which this review includes only those articles on gifts specifically linked to gratitude as a prima facie motivation in a health care context. The included articles have in common a focus on the ethical and policy implications of gifts of goods or money presented by patients, either to individual health care providers or to organizations.

Authors that deal with gifts recognize that gift-givers’ motives may be benign if motivated purely by gratitude for care deemed worthy of extra recognition, but gifts become problematic when a gift is given in anticipation of privileged treatment. Spence (2005) and Ootes et al. (2013) draw on psychoanalytic frameworks to explore the mindsets of patients who give gifts. Spence (2005) explores the risks of doctors accepting gifts, urging special caution for gifts that arise “out of the blue” before the doctor has done anything to “deserve” them. Ootes et al. (2013) also urge practitioners to reflect carefully before accepting gifts. In their ethnographic study in a Dutch mental health care context, they identify types of gifts for professionals and discuss these in the context of social inclusion of clients and professional codes. They argue that attention should be paid to gift-giving as potentially altruistic instead of invariably interpreting gifts in terms of reciprocity.

Some gift-giving practices are described as “gratitude” but are, in reality, obligatory cultural norms. There are a number of articles that scrutinize Eastern European customs of giving “gratitude payments” ( Gaal & Mckee, 2005 ; Julesz, 2018 ; Stepurko et al., 2013 ). Gratuity payments were usually legal in the 19th century when doctors were paid more than promised for a job well done or received gifts such as produce, wine, or art. During the Communist era, it was the social norm for patients to pay doctors for ostensibly free medical services. Low pay for medical workers has contributed to the persistence of informal payments. In his study of the practice in Hungary, Julesz (2018) found that payments are still customary although they are contrary to the Code of Ethics, and those soliciting money in advance are prosecuted (although low penalties mean that this does not act as a deterrent). The author argues that all such payments are corruption, and says that, alarmingly, “In the post communist part of the world and also in a great many developing African countries, authors always mean corruption when they use the word ‘gratitude’” (p. 157).

The ethics of “cultivated’” gratitude were also explored in Wright et al. (2013) and Macauley (2014) . Hospitals often channel donations from grateful patients and their families into philanthropic programs that seem, at first, to circumvent the compromising effects of individuals accepting gifts. But these authors show that these initiatives (sometimes called “grateful patient programs” in the United States) are not immune to exploitative tactics that can compromise trust in the doctor–patient relationship.

The discourse on gift-giving in articles in this meta-narrative often mentions “questions”: unfinalized practices that tend to raise questions to which there are no easy answers. Medical professionals are urged to ask themselves questions about the motivations of patients in giving gifts, necessitating a degree of interpretation that cannot be encoded in policies. Research aligned with this meta-narrative explores tensions between gifts as benign gestures of gratitude that are culturally normative and gifts that are essentially supplementary fees or tips. Issues around the giving and receiving of gifts pose fundamental ethical questions about beneficence and autonomy to which authors of articles in this meta-narrative have been acutely alert.

Meta-narrative 3: Gratitude and Care Ethics

Articles in which acts of charity or generosity are conceptualized metaphorically as gifts fall outside the boundaries of the way we have circumscribed the gift meta-narrative. These articles engage less with the transaction of goods or money and more with the implications of gratitude as a response to a construal of “care-as-gift.” An example is the study by Kenworthy (2014) which argues global health interventions in developing countries can be interpreted as a gift for which gratitude is the obligatory response. She explores how this engenders “new debts, obligations, and forms of peonage for recipients” (p. 83). Articles like this, which also explore balancing of power and voice, were assigned to our third meta-narrative: gratitude and care ethics.

Care ethics as a field of ethical theory was founded by Carol Gilligan, whose research on relationships between identity and moral development led her to locate care as central to women’s “different voice”—a voice which binds relationship and responsibility, calling for responsiveness and careful listening to voices that were previously met with indifference ( Gilligan, 1993 ). In the context of gratitude, an ethic of care pays meticulous attention to the voices and the circumstances of those expressing gratitude to understand its impulses and implications. These articles were generally characterized by a qualitative, anthropological approach based on in-depth case studies and underpinned by a well-elaborated theoretical framework that drew on Gilligan as well as subsequent work by feminist and disability theorists.

Addressing a feminist ethics of care most directly is Mullin (2011) who argues that gratitude is consistent with how relations of care are understood as morally valuable when they attend to the needs and also the capacities of care recipients. She contests the idea that those who are paid to care are not appropriate targets for gratitude, arguing that gratitude is important in generating mutual respect. In common with Algoe and Stanton (2012) , she finds that gratitude is distinguished from indebtedness because motives of goodwill and caring are imputed to the benefactor rather than the expectation of equivalent payback. Acknowledging that both the recipients and the providers of caring labor are groups of people who need support, Mullin says it is important for both care recipients and providers to make sufficient time to demonstrate mutual goodwill and respect, and gratitude is integral to this relationship.

Galvin (2004) , however, warns of the problematic nature of gratitude when it exacerbates a lack of autonomy for physically disabled people through ongoing reliance on informal care in which gratitude is the only currency available: “For those who are able-bodied, gratitude may well comprise a comfortable and unproblematic response to kindness, but for disabled people it can signify an unbearable state of perpetual obligation” (p. 137). She found that people who had access to paid personal assistance tended to feel a greater sense of control, comfort, and autonomy than those constrained by feelings of shame and frustration when having to be persistently grateful for the goodwill of others.

A similar wariness is expressed in the study by Niner et al. (2013) of the birthing experiences in Australia of displaced Karen women from Burma. The women they interviewed expressed gratitude for a variety of circumstances (safe haven, secure environment, care given, and post-birth support) in spite of many having experienced suboptimal care and a lack of autonomy, exacerbated by a lack of interpreters. The authors attribute the women’s “gracious acceptance stance” (p. 544) to imperatives to normalize distress in the context of adverse past experiences and their self-reliant attitudes, as well as cultural aversions to complaining.

Consistent gratitude as a hallmark of entrenched disempowerment is similarly a theme considered by Nouvet (2016) who explores the power effects of gratitude in the context of American surgical missions to Nicaragua. Nicaraguans interviewed felt the patient-centered care they received from foreign missions stood in contrast to the dehumanizing, discriminatory treatment they had experienced in the public health care system. While noting the importance of the “small drops of humanity” (tone of voice, vocabulary, smiles) for which many patients expressed gratitude, the author notes the ambiguity of the politics of gratitude in that it simultaneously enacts affirmations and denunciations of the status quo. Similarly, Roche et al. (2018) found that explicit, unprompted gratitude was expressed by nearly all the aid recipients they interviewed in Guatemala. In common with Nouvet (2016) , the authors hypothesize that foreign visiting medical teams may unwittingly contribute to inequalities by making ongoing access to benefits contingent on appropriate display of “grateful postures” and that recipients of aid may be construed as failing to successfully navigate and pay within formal health structures.

All of the articles that enact the meta-narrative of a care ethic are attuned to the voices of the grateful, listening to but also interpreting narratives within a framework of politics and power relations. Ambiguity is a key concept here: gratitude is a sincere response to good intentions and care that is often delivered with humanity and warmth. But context is all important. When gratitude becomes obligatory, it moves from being an act of responsive relations to a marker of disenfranchisement and may exacerbate health inequalities.

Meta-narrative 4: Benefits of Gratitude

Overwhelmingly, the empirical work identified in this review reported on the benefits of being grateful. Although published in a wide range of journals, this work is most often situated in the paradigm of positive psychology—a field of scholarship introduced by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) . Proponents of positive psychology consciously seek to counter the dominant medical model of human functioning that focused on distress and pathology while neglecting factors that contribute to well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction. In studies allied with this meta-narrative, gratitude has been investigated as a personality disposition, or trait, that is correlated with well-being, possibly with a causal relationship ( Wood et al., 2010 ). Studies sought ways of measuring the beneficial effects of gratitude, elaborating associations with other measures of well-being and life satisfaction, and/or evaluating gratitude interventions like journaling or “counting blessings” exercises.

Attention to the positive effects of gratitude dates from a collaboration between psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough in the late 1990s. McCullough et al. (2001) offered an influential functional theory of gratitude and reinforced it with empirical support. A landmark edited volume The Psychology of Gratitude followed in 2004 ( Emmons et al., 2004 ). The “breakthrough” article that heralded this a new paradigm in empirical gratitude research is McCullough et al. (2002) . The authors describe a series of studies that validate a self-report 6-item, unifactorial questionnaire (GQ-6) for measuring trait gratitude, that is, a grateful disposition or character. Eight of the articles in our review used GQ-6 or a modified version of it. Other scales, notably the Gratitude, Resentment and Appreciation Test (GRAT) and the Appreciation Scale, are described and reviewed in Davidson and Wood (2016) and compared in N. A. Card (2019) . Martini and Converso (2014) have developed a scale, PGrate, specifically to measure health care providers’ perceptions of patients’ expressions of gratitude. To date, the PGrate scale appears only to have been used by its authors ( Converso et al., 2015 ; Martini & Converso, 2014 ; Martini et al., 2016 ).

Articles included in this meta-narrative often focus on gratitude benefits as a factor that could be used instrumentally to inform care interactions. Althaus et al. (2018) conclude that gratitude may have a positive impact on quality of life and reduce psychological distress in patients receiving palliative care in Switzerland. A thematic analysis of interviews with patients in a city in the United States who had suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury found that patients benefited from appraising adverse life experiences as positive through the lens of gratitude ( Chun & Lee, 2013 ).

Studies have investigated gratitude interventions as possible therapies. Kreitzer et al. (2019) found that gratitude practice in an online therapeutic community led to reported improvements in stress levels, gratitude, and social support, although effects were relatively short lived. Moosath and Jayaseelan (2016) analyzed questionnaires and conducted interviews with eight patients receiving chemotherapy in an oncology ward of a Bangalore hospital, India, who took part in a gratitude journaling intervention. The study found that gratitude journaling boosted subjective well-being and also gave insights into patients’ reflections on the nature of gratitude.

Benefits of gratitude were identified, not only for patients, but for familial and professional caregivers. Lau and Cheng (2017) carried out a survey of Chinese familial caregivers of people with dementia and found that gratitude was related to emotion-focused coping and psychological resources that reduced distress. A study by Stomski et al. (2019) of associations between gratitude and carer burden in informal Australian mental health carers had more equivocal results: simple appreciation was associated with a higher care burden, but the trait of “lack of sense of deprivation” (a focus on what a person has) and an appreciation of others reduced the burden leading the authors to recommend that gratitude interventions should specifically target these tendencies.

The metaphor usually associated with the “benefits” meta-narrative is “building.” Positive psychology was described by Duckworth et al. (2005) as a “build what’s strong” rather than a “fix what’s wrong” approach (p. 631), and this imagery is at the heart of one of the most influential models of gratitude, attributed to Barbara Fredrickson: “broaden-and-build.” The model holds that “positive emotions appear to broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertoires and build their enduring personal resources” ( Fredrickson, 2004 , p. 147, italics in original). This is in contrast with negative emotions that invoke a narrow thought-action repertoire for quick and decisive action in situations which may be life-threatening. Although the situations which bring forth positive emotions may be transient, Fredrickson argues that the personal resources that one builds are durable and can be drawn on to cope and survive.

Methodological limitations, which have also been discussed in gratitude scholarship more widely (see, for example, Gulliford et al., 2013 ; Jans-Beken et al., 2018 , 2019 ; Lambert et al., 2009 ), were evident in the research we reviewed here. Empirical studies tended to report low to modest effect sizes and gave limitations like small sample sizes, narrow sampling bands, high attrition rates in long-term studies, and difficulty in setting up meaningful control groups.

Articles in this meta-narrative approached gratitude as having benefits for psychological well-being of patients and informal caregivers. Patients tended to have long-term or lifelong conditions. Carers, too, who were research participants tended to be involved in familial or long-term caring relationships. It was notable that both populations were seen as being resilient but prone to psychological distress—hence, their potential to benefit from broaden-and-build gratitude interventions. Studies that examined these benefits within a professional health care context had different emphases which warranted a separate meta-narrative: gratitude and staff well-being.

Meta-narrative 5: Gratitude and Staff Well-being

The mental and physical health of health care practitioners is a matter of global concern (see, for example, Cheng et al., 2015 , and O’Connor et al., 2018 ). The meta-narrative of gratitude and staff well-being is concerned with interventions, surveys, and reviews that focus on gratitude expressed or received by health care students and professionals. Although mostly situated within positive psychology, research in occupational therapy, positive organizational scholarship, and health education also informs these studies. They have in common a construction of the professional caregiver as vulnerable to stress and burnout against which gratitude awareness and practice might protect. The cultures of care in professional settings explored by studies in this meta-narrative interrogate the role of gratitude in enhancing job satisfaction, reducing absences, improving retention, and/or boosting teamwork—factors that did not feature strongly in the studies involving informal caregivers that we assigned to the benefits meta-narrative.

Interventions in health care education and professional development encourage participants to express gratitude as a means of enhancing their own well-being but also to augment their capacity for patient- and person-centered care ( Fournier & Sheehan, 2015 ; Rao & Kemper, 2017 ). Our review includes one randomized controlled trial of a gratitude journaling intervention for health care practitioners across five hospitals in Hong Kong, which found that the practice effectively reduced perceived stress (−2.65 points; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [−4.00, −1.30]; d = −0.95) and depressive symptoms−1.50 points; 95% CI: [−2.98, −0.01]; d = −0.49; Cheng et al., 2015 ). The most ambitious of the studies included in this review is by Stegen and Wankier (2018) who implemented multiple gratitude interventions over the course of a year within the nursing faculty at Weber State University, Utah, USA. The authors found that post-intervention survey participants reported that job satisfaction increased, as did teamwork and collaboration. In a wide-ranging study of virtues, work satisfactions and well-being among 79 nurses in a single hospital, Burke et al. (2009) found that nurses scoring higher on gratitude showed more job satisfaction, vigor, dedication, and few absences.

In studies that look at the impact of patients’ gratitude on staff, a scoping review by Aparicio et al. (2019) found that gratitude may have important personal and professional effects on health care professionals. A self-report study of oncology and emergency nurses at two Italian hospitals by Converso et al. (2015) suggests that perceptions of patients’ gratitude could have a protective effect against burnout. Starkey et al. (2019) also found receiving expressions of gratitude predicted physical health benefits in a survey of 146 nurses in Oregon, USA, via satisfaction with patient care.

Imagery that is prevalent in this meta-narrative is that of “levels.” The analyses speak of raising, improving, promoting, or enhancing desirable qualities such as morale and compassion and lowering, reducing, or decreasing or factors perceived as problematic such as stress. One study spoke of examining the impact of various “doses” of skills training ( Rao & Kemper, 2017 ). In common with literature in the benefits meta-narrative, Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory was often invoked as an explanatory framework ( Fredrickson, 2004 ).

Meta-narrative 6: Gratitude as an Indicator of Quality of Care

There is a rich tradition of studying the effects of emotions in social interactions to try to understand helping and cooperative behaviors, and the way the self is evaluated according to the feedback of other social actors (see, for example, Tangney et al., 2007 ). Although not usually specifically referred to, a hypothesis underlying many of the studies included in this meta-narrative is “feelings-as-information.” This hypothesis, articulated by Norbert Schwarz, holds that affect has cognitive consequences that can influence judgment ( Schwarz, 2012 ). The articles we grouped in this meta-narrative linked gratitude and quality of care. Perspectives were explored either from the patients’ or relatives’ points of view in which gratitude is expressed after an experience of the delivery of good care, or in which gratitude precedes and predicts the delivery of high-quality care.

While the writing of gratitude letters is a common gratitude intervention thought to contribute to the well-being of the writer, the receiving of such letters by health care professionals or institutions is generally regarded as an indicator of quality of care. Several authors have conducted thematic analyses of unsolicited letters to care units to evaluate their usefulness as a form of feedback on care provided and as a source of narratives of the patients’ or relatives’ experience ( Aparicio et al., 2017 ; Centeno et al., 2010 ; Herbland et al., 2017 ; Martins Pereira, & Hernández-Marrero, 2016 ). This meta-narrative is also linked, either explicitly or implicitly, to staff benefits in that there is a perception that access to such letters can boost self-esteem among staff, potentially reducing burnout and acting as a motivating factor for staff. Herbland et al. (2017) also link their study to an ethic of care, arguing that thank-you letters received by the intensive care unit at a French Hospital resonate with phases of care consistent with Gilligan’s characterization of care as a reciprocal practice ( Gilligan, 1993 ).

In a historical study that looked at correspondence between 1,506 former patients with tuberculosis and staff at the Brompton Hospital in London in the 20th century, Day (2019) found that gratitude was central to the ongoing relationships of care that saw many patients continuing to correspond with the hospital for decades after discharge. Day argues that communication strategies that acknowledge and build on gratitude have useful lessons for enhancing relational care in today’s health care settings.

Riskin et al. (2019) also make recommendations for how gratitude can improve care. Their intervention study in Israel found that teams hearing a mother expressing gratitude prior to a simulation exhibited significantly better diagnostic and treatment performance during a neonatal clinical intensive care unit training session. In common with Day (2019) , the authors call for better acknowledgment within health care of the positive impact of gratitude gestures.

Two studies, Rådestad et al. (2011) and Diesen (2016) , solicited patient or service users’ feedback through a questionnaire and interviews, respectively. Rådestad et al. (2011) analyzed answers to a question about gratitude to staff to argue that changes in care practices in Sweden around 1990, allowing parents increased contact with their stillborn child, were effective. Diesen (2016) found gratitude to be a theme in the reflections of young adults in Norway with phenylketonuria. The authors argue that gratitude could be a major coping strategy for patients, in which a focus on the positive is an active and informed choice.

In articles included in this meta-narrative, which were mostly published in journals with a professional health care readership, there was little semantic homogeneity about the ways in which gratitude was characterized or analyzed. Some mentioned that it was an indicator of satisfaction, others of recognition or empowerment. However, the narratives were all concerned with “care” and the role of gratitude as a qualitative factor in delivering good care.

Summary of Findings

Figure 1 presents an integrated account of the reviewed literature. It maps how the six meta-narratives relate to one another, as well as to the domains of ethics, psychology, and health care research. In addition, it charts the focus and disciplinary emphasis for all included articles and demonstrates their integration into one or more meta-narratives.

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The visual representation of the review

It is evident that there are multiple, complex strands in the growing body of literature exploring gratitude in health care. The impact of the groundwork laid by Emmons & McCullough is considerable—33 articles in our review cited their work—but this has not led to conceptual homogeneity, and indeed, it might be unrealistic to expect this given the array of disciplines that take an interest in gratitude.

Certain themes were prominent across meta-narratives. The norm of reciprocity featured strongly in the “social capital” and “gifts” meta-narratives. In “social capital,” reciprocity was mostly appreciated as a driver of prosocial behavior, but was also criticized for locking those beholden to others’ goodwill into a cycle of perpetual, obligatory gratitude. The problems with obligatory reciprocity are also explored in the “gifts” meta-narrative where culturally accepted practices can become pernicious when they become exploitative and exacerbate health inequalities. These tensions were elaborated on in studies assigned to the “care ethic” meta-narrative, many of which explored gratitude in the context of global health and humanitarianism. The bringing together of this research illuminated a contradiction that sits unresolved in academic approaches to gratitude: the “economy” metaphors that are theory constitutive contradict the communal, moral generosity at the heart of gratitude which flinches from the obligatory reciprocity that economic metaphors demand.

Gratitude as advantageous to care givers and recipients was a theme evident in most of the articles, particularly in the “benefits,” “staff well-being,” and “quality of care indicator” meta-narratives. Some authors were forthright about how gratitude could be instrumentalized, either in eliciting prosocial behavior or in devising interventions judged likely to have beneficial psychological effects on participants. Research situated in the paradigm of positive psychology authorizes a favorable conceptualization of gratitude, but research aligned with other meta-narratives suggests that researchers should remain attuned to alternative, less affirming interpretations of situations in which gratitude is the expected response. Indeed, it may be insensitive to insist that people should find reasons to be grateful in the face of adverse life events or unsatisfactory working environments.

Comparisons With Existing Literature

The review we have conducted complements and extends the scoping review by Aparicio et al. (2019) of gratitude between patients and their families and health professionals. Their thematic analysis of 32 publications, identified through a search using the terms “gratitude” and “health professionals,” concluded that professionals’ well-being is likely to be enhanced if they are the recipients of gratitude and called for more research. In contrast to our review, however, they do not identify any downsides to gratitude, framing it as an indicator of excellent care and a meaningful form of feedback.

The review of gratitude and health by Jans-Beken et al. (2019) focuses on experimental studies on the effects of gratitude on mental and physical health. Our findings, particularly from literature considered in the “benefits” and “staff well-being” meta-narratives, align well with their conclusion that gratitude is beneficially, although modestly, linked to social, emotional, and psychological well-being. A meta-analytic review of associations between gratitude and prosociality by Ma et al. (2017) found that gratitude plays a central role in reciprocal behaviors, which were echoed by the findings in our “social capital” meta-narrative.

Limitations

Searching for the term “gratitude” is likely to be fallible. Lambert et al. (2009) found that a great many features are associated with gratitude, for example, appreciation, thankfulness, generosity, and graciousness. By restricting “gratitude” to titles, we effectively focused the e-search but this may be at the expense of articles which approached the topic less directly. As with most literature reviews, there is a degree of subjectivity in applying sifting criteria and other researchers might make different choices. It is possible that relevant articles are published in journals not covered by the databases we searched, and a further limitation is a publication bias for articles in English. The meta-narratives offered here did not directly “emerge” from the literature but were created through discussion among the review team. The constructions of others may differ, as might their attributions of focus and disciplinary alignment. We offer our interpretation as part of an ongoing dialogue on the relevance of social elements of communication in health care rather than a definitive account.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The study of gratitude—its properties, implications, and effects—has been of long-standing and intense interest to a diverse range of researchers. Its general literature is vast and amorphous which can be daunting for those hoping to make a meaningful contribution to the field. This review offers a map to those hoping to find purchase in the progressive programs in which gratitude research currently finds itself. A usual recommendation for reviews of this type is to call for more systematic, evidence-based studies. However, on the basis of this review, we call for more attention to what constitutes robust “evidence”: are we content with extrapolating from responses to questionnaires that take mere seconds to complete, or should we be putting greater store in qualitative research in which responses are less constrained and more considered? Given the contested conceptual basis for gratitude, we recommend that future work should focus on understanding the way gratitude acquires meaning in real-world situations as a precursor to devising more sophisticated empirical enquiries.

The focus on health care is timely and relevant, as it becomes increasingly evident that civility in workplace culture has a definitive effect on retention, job satisfaction, and patient safety (see, for example, Armstrong, 2018 ; Rajamohan et al., 2019 ). We found relatively little attention paid to gratitude as a component of civility in care settings (addressed indirectly in Mullin, 2011 and Riskin et al., 2019 ), and this could usefully be explored in further research. The Covid-19 pandemic provides new opportunities for investigating gratitude. Collective expressions of appreciation for health care workers in many parts of the world have been accompanied by increasingly politicized conversations in the mainstream and social media about what constitutes meaningful gratitude. Valuable insights could be gleaned about how gratitude intersects with issues of esteem, community cohesion, and the languages of valorization that often accompany expressions of gratitude.

Sociologist Arthur Frank reminds us that the foremost task of responding to illness and disability is to increase the generosity with which we offer medical skill, and that to be generous we need to “first feel grateful” ( Frank, 2004 , p. 142). Given its importance to the prosocial enterprise that is health care, the challenge posed by the traits and multiple states of gratitude should encourage rather than deter the assiduous researcher. This meta-narrative review shows that research in gratitude in health care has significant potential for developing understandings of conceptual issues around the intrinsic nature of recognition and appreciation in care-giving relationships. On the evidence of this review, gratitude should be recognized as integral to the social relations that significantly influence what people think, feel, say, and do in relation to health care.

Supplemental Material

Acknowledgments.

Thank you to Iain Ryrie for helpful suggestions on the manuscript, and to the two anonymous reviewers whose critical reading helped to improve and clarify this meta-narrative review. Soak Digital prepared Figure 1 under the authors’ direction.

Author Biographies

Giskin Day is researching the expression and reception of gratitude as part of a Wellcome-funded PhD studentship at King’s College London. She is also a Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London with a specialism in medical humanities.

Glenn Robert is a sociologist and professor in Health care Quality and Innovation. His research incorporates the study of innovations in the organization and delivery of health care services as well as quality improvement interventions.

Anne Marie Rafferty is a professor of Health Policy and president of the Royal College of Nursing. She is a historian and international expert in workforce research, policy, and patient safety. She is co-director of the Health and Social Care Workforce Policy Research Unit at King’s College London and researching the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health and well-being of nurses and other health care workers.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust [Grant no. 212792/Z/18/Z to GD].

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Supplemental Material: Supplemental Material for this article is available online at journals.sagepub.com/home/qhr . Please enter the article’s DOI, located at the top right hand corner of this article in the search bar, and click on the file folder icon to view.

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Essay on Gratitude

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#1 Essay on Gratitude Towards Parents

#2 essay on gratitude towards teachers, #3 essay on gratitude towards friends, #4 essay on gratitude towards god, #5 essay on gratitude towards school, #6 essay on gratitude day.

Gratitude is one of the most underestimated ways anyone can use to enrich their lives. It is the feeling and attitude of appreciation and thankfulness for the good that we receive in life.

Scientists have proven that when we express our gratefulness towards other people, we tend to feel happier, calmer and as a result, it opens up more channels for goodness to enter into our lives.

Imagine going through a day where strangers smile at you, greet you, and people hold the door open for you, and more importantly, you feel that this world is full of kindness and people are willing to help you without expecting any return. How would that make your day?

The best part about being grateful and to live a good life, you can do not have to wait for people to do good to you, instead, be the first one to act and express your thankfulness to them, especially your parents.

Why Do You Need To Show Gratitude Towards Parents

Robert Emmons, one of the world’s leading scientist and expert on the subject of gratitude reveals that feeling grateful have many benefits for your body, mind, and relationships, especially towards your parents.

You have to understand that your parents are the closest people you have when you were young and they are the ones that you spent the most time with. Well, this may not be true for everyone, but it is true for the majority of the people out there.

Kindness and success start from home. Another important point to remember is that you will someday become a parent too. And thus, how you treat your parents will somehow leave an impact on your relationship between you and your children.

If you are grateful for your parents and always be thankful for the good that they have brought into your life, you will feel the same when you become a parent.

What Are The Best Ways To Express Your Gratitude Towards Parents

There are plenty of ways how you can express your gratitude and thankfulness toward your parents. One of the easiest and most effective ways is to just say “Thank you”.

When your parents cook a meal for you, when they help you solve a problem, when they do something for you, when they guide you, when they buy you a new shoe, when they give you money to live, do not forget to say thank you.

Another good way to express your gratitude towards your parents is to spend more time with them and accompany them. You do not have to wait until when their hair turns gray or when they are 80 years old only to spend your time with them. Remember how your parents spend their time and life nurturing you, feeding you and making sure that you grow up becoming who you are today? Do the same and take good care of your parents, this is one of the best ways to express your thankfulness to them.

Some people express their gratitude through composing a song, some write thank you letters, some show it through hugs and kisses, and some bring their parents for vacation. What about you?

Regardless of what you do to show your gratefulness towards your parents, the key is to make sure that you do it before time runs out.

  • huffingtonpost.com/dr-hyder-zahed/feel-and-express-gratitude_b_11304630.html
  • sbnonline.com/article/why-it-is-so-important-to-express-gratitude-in-your-business/
  • greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
  • philstar.com/sunday-life/506384/what-best-way-show-gratitude-your-parents

As you might already know, expressing your gratitude towards people is something that will not only enrich your life but also enrich the lives of the one you express your thanks to.

Studies have shown that expressing your gratefulness toward someone has many benefits including raising your self-esteem, making you happier, and also giving you a sense of fulfillment in life.

And when it comes to showing your appreciation, one of the most important figures you should be thankful for will be your teachers. Most people who practice writing gratitude lists often miss out their teachers in the list because they only interact with their teachers in school. And after they get into the working world, materials and people around them are their main focus.

Do you know that teachers are the people who you spend the most time with besides your parents and friends? More importantly, a teacher’s mission is to educate you and make sure that you learn what you are supposed to learn in school. Their mission also often intertwined with life and inspirational lessons to motivate you to succeed in life.

Take Les Brown, the motivational speaker as an example. In his motivational speech, he often quoted the person who inspired and changed his life, his teacher, Leroy Washington. Brown was born poor and was labeled as “educable mentally retarded”. Despite the fact that Brown was a slow learner, his teacher never abandoned him, instead, he inspired him by telling young Brown, “Never let someone’s opinion of you become your reality”.

As you can see, your teachers play an important role in shaping who you are today. You are where you are right now because of the influence of your teachers. Regardless of whether your teachers have positively impacted your life, you should feel grateful for them at all times.

There are plenty of ways how you can express your gratefulness toward your teachers, including:

1. Write a thank you essay to your teacher. Show your appreciation through words and this is not a test, hence, write with an open heart and sincerity.

2. Buy a best-selling book for your teacher. Somehow, teachers should love to read and always pursue for improvement, be it in career or at life, right?

3. Show your appreciation by doing homework and follow the advice from your teachers. This is one of the easiest ways to show your gratitude towards your teacher. Just do your best and excel in school.

4. Say a simple “Thank you”, after every class. This small and simple act will profoundly change your teacher’s life.

5. Remember your teacher’s birthday and buy him or her a gift as a token of appreciation. And your teacher will remember you for the rest of his or her life.

The above are just some of the ideas on how you can show your thankfulness towards your teacher. It is not the idea that matter, the key is that you do something that your teacher will remember and receive your appreciation. Even if it is as tiny as a simple “thank you”, your teacher will feel it.

As students, many teachers and educators will pass through your life without remembrance. Therefore, starting from now on, do something and to express your gratitude to the people have guided you in life.

There is an old saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”, and friends hold a special place in our heart as they are the ones who will always be by our side whenever we need them. We simply cannot live in this world all by ourselves without friends.

Thus, it is important to express our appreciation toward our friends, especially those who have helped us when we needed them. There are many types of friends, some you will want to keep no matter the situation, some you will want to leave or spend less time with, and some are good for social and sharing.

Writing an appreciation essay or letter to express your gratitude toward your friend is not something new. In fact, it has been around for ages and a lot of people are using this method to show their gratitude and build better and more intimate relationship with the people they spend their time with. You do not really have to follow any format when writing the essay to your friends. They are your best friends, they know you and they will accept whatever you good you are trying to tell them.

However, no matter how informal you are, you have to be sincere in writing it. You will lose the point of the gratitude letter if you sound fake and are not serious. All you need to do is to express how you feel about them. Tell your friends how much thankful you are and how much they meant to you in your life.

Besides that, to make your gratitude letter more powerful, you can include a small gift with it. It can be a keychain, a pen, a book, or even just a mint, your friend will appreciate your effort even more. You do not have to wait for the right and perfect moment to do this. If you seriously are grateful for your friends right now, take out a piece of paper, and write down your thoughts and thank them.

There are many blessings that come from being grateful for the good things we enjoy in life. And everyone has their own religion in their hearts. Deep within you, you believe in something, a higher power, a God, or something that has the power to create the world. Simply put, God wants us to learn to be grateful and thankful for all the gifts He has created for us.

This is not only about being spiritual, in fact, science has shown that people who are grateful for their Gods tend to be healthier and happier. You have probably heard the saying, “Count your blessings”, and do you know that when you literally count your blessings, you will increase your emotional and mental health? When people are not grateful, they tend to complain and blame everything and everyone. This is a negative act that will destroy your life. When you think something negative in your mind, you will feel stress, anxious, frustrated, and also angry. This will directly affect your health.

Therefore, learn to be grateful for everything in your life, especially God, the higher power that created you and everything else in the world. When you show your appreciation, you will access a calmer state, you will feel more peaceful and this makes you feel good about yourself, and your life.

One very simple act of showing your gratitude toward God through praying. Depending on what religion you believe in, everyone prays differently. The method how you pray does not really matter, the key is that you are sincere in showing your gratefulness. Furthermore, you can practice writing a gratitude list. Just write down whatever things that you want to be grateful for. It can be your cat, your dog, your house, your wife, your children, your boss, the air you are breathing, the computer you have, or whatever you can think of. Feel the appreciate and express the gratefulness deep within you.

School is one of the most important places in our lives because it is where almost everyone spends the most of their time there. It is a place that is meant to nurture us, guide us, and equip us with the necessary knowledge to prepare for the world. Everyone has their own unique memories about their school, some were meaningful and nostalgic, some were funny, and some were embarrassed.

Whatever thoughts and memories you have about your school, it does not really matter now as you have gone through it and the past will remain history forever. You simply cannot change that, but there is one thing that you can do that will impact your future life, and it is to show your gratitude toward your school and your teachers.

Schools are great places where young people get together and learn not just academically, but also about friendship, teamwork, leadership, life, and also love. On average, a normal person about 12 to 20 years in a classroom and this is where we learn to interact with others and this is also where our characters and attitudes started to grow.

So how can you show your appreciation toward your school and be grateful for what you have gone through? Well, you can start with two parts. First, you can show your gratitude toward your school by helping your school. You can make a donation when you have extra money or you can spend time into helping your school such as cleaning or repainting the building.

Next, you can also show your gratitude by writing appreciation letters to your teachers. You set a good example of being a grateful person by expressing your thoughts and let the new young generation to follow. There are plenty of ways how you can contribute to your schools and teachers. When you have the sincerity, the ideas will automatically come to you.

What is a Gratitude Day? It is a day to show appreciation for all things, big and small. Gratitude Day was first celebrated in 1965, and it was officially adopted by the United Nations Meditation Group and recognized as a day where people from around the world and from all walks of life show their gratefulness on whatever things in life.

Studies have shown that people who are grateful for the things they have and the life they are living right now are happier, calmer, and able to perform and achieve more. According to the Law of Attraction, the more you appreciate what you have, the Universe will give you more of it. For example, if you appreciate and are grateful for the money you have, you will have more of it.

So how can you celebrate this day and make it meaningful and interesting? First, you can take a moment to appreciate your family tree. Pay attention to your family members, notice how they have supported you in the past, and then express your gratefulness to them. Tell your family how much you love them. Buy a gift for them if you want to.

Next, be thankful for your community. From the server at your local restaurant, the policemen, the nurse, to the baker down the street in your neighborhood, say thank you to them. Give and show your gratitude to them. And do not forget about your friends too. Your friends are an important part of your life because you have gone through the thick and thin with them.

Besides that, thank yourself for being who you are right now and for whatever you have had in your life. When you appreciate yourself, you will have more confidence and thus, able to accomplish more. When you show your gratitude toward the things you have in life, you will appreciate them and in return, you will live an abundant life.

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EssayBanyan.com – Collections of Essay for Students of all Class in English

Essay on Gratitude

Gratitude is the feeling that compels you to return a favour and express gratefulness. It could arise for anyone – God, society, persons, animals, etc. In the essays below we will cover various topics on gratitude to help you understand the subject deeply.

Short and Long Essays on Gratitude in English

You can select anyone of the essays given below as per your requirement.

Gratitude Essay 10 Lines (100 – 150 Words)

1) When people help us, the return thankful feeling for them is called gratitude.

2) “Gratus” is the root origin of the word gratitude which means thankful.

3) Gratitude helps in maintaining a good relationship.

4) Accepting and giving gratitude both make people happy.

5) Gratitude can be shown to family, friends, instructors, nature, animals, or God.

6) Gratitude encourages the helping nature in society.

7) Gratitude creates peace, unity, and harmony in society.

8) Gratitude helps us to remain happy by improving our quality of living.

9) Helping is a positive quality of humans that needs to be appreciated through gratitude.

10) Humans should always be grateful for life, resources, and help.

Essay on Gratitude 1 (250 Words) – Meaning and Importance of Gratitude

Introduction

We all hear the word ‘gratitude’ too often in normal conversations or while reading a book, etc. In this essay, we will discuss the definition of gratitude and its importance.

What is Gratitude

In a lay man’s term, gratitude is the quality of expressing gratefulness to someone for an act of kindness or help. It is the same quality that lets you remember the kindness someone has shown for you and urges you to return the favour.

If you feel an urge to help back someone who has helped you; this feeling or longing is nothing but gratitude. It is only gratitude that compels you to say thank you or send a thank you note to your teacher.

Gratitude can be expressed to living beings as well as to God and nature. We can express our gratitude to the nature for providing us so many essential things – water, air, food, etc.

Importance of Gratitude

Gratitude is a very important quality that improves the quality of life, making the existence more sensible. It establishes social harmony and induces an environment where everyone is appreciating each other and providing support.

It also improves the quality of our personal lives and strengthens our bonds with family and friends. In a family where everyone is grateful to everyone, has a deep emotional attachment.

Gratitude is the best way to return the favor to society, nature, God, friends, relatives, and relatives for thousands of good things all of them have done to us.

Essay on Gratitude 2 (400 Words) – Advantages of Gratitude and How to Practice It

Gratitude is the feeling to be grateful for an act of kindness done onto you by someone. Being grateful also means that you should be willing to return the favour in whatever way possible. In the essay below we will go through some of the benefits of gratitude and the ways to practice it.

Advantages of Gratitude

Gratitude has several benefits on your personal as well as social life. I have listed below some of the important benefits of gratitude for your knowledge :

1) Strengthens Relationship

Gratitude strengthens your relationship with others. Being thankful is a wonderful feeling and an experience that strengthens the bonds between both the parties. It improves the trust factor and the feeling of being respected and acknowledged.

2) Makes You Happy

The quality of gratitude also makes you feel happy. When you express gratitude or receive it from someone, in both cases you feel happy for doing something good or for something good that has been done to you. Persons with gratitude are known to have reduced stress.

3) Makes the Society Sensible

A society that expresses gratitude for each other is the happiest and sensible society. People are considerate and never leave a chance to be thankful for others. A sensible society is bound to make progress in the right way.

4) Reduces Comparisons and Promote Acknowledgement

When you are thankful for others you don’t compare them on the basis of their financial status or other factors. You are just thankful to everyone and appreciate their achievements.

How to Practice Gratitude

There are some effective ways to practice gratitude that I will list below-

  • Make note of every good thing that happens to you every day and who was responsible for it.
  • Plan to return the favour at an appropriate time.
  • Appreciate everything – nature, animals, and plants around us and acknowledge their importance.
  • Say thanks to various community helpers – washerman, gardener, policeman, sweepers, etc, whenever possible.
  • While waking up every day, thank God for such a beautiful day.
  • Thank God again for all the day’s ordeals that have made you wiser and stronger.
  • Refrain from complaining about something or someone.

Gratitude is a wonderful and the most beautiful feeling that strengthens human psychology and society as well. A society where everyone is grateful is the happiest and the loveliest of all.

Essay on Gratitude

Essay on Gratitude 3 (500 – 600 Words) – Types of Gratitude and Their Use

Gratitude is that quality in you that lets you be thankful to someone for help. Showing gratitude means showing appreciation to the person who has helped you and be kind in return. It is a very important quality of humans and is essential when it comes to social recognition and harmony.

Types of Gratitude

There could be different types of gratitude depending on to whom it is expressed and for what; however, the basic feeling behind gratitude is the same in most cases and it is to be thankful.  Below I have mentioned some types of gratitude to the best of my understanding.

1) Gratitude Expressed to a Person

This is the gratitude that you express in your everyday interaction with others. We do a number of activities every day and interact with several people – colleagues, co-passengers, community helpers, etc. We interact with several parsons in a day and sometimes couldn’t even recall the nature of it. Many persons might be doing a simple act of kindness on us for which we should be thankful.

You should be thankful to that co-passenger of yours who shifted his/her seat so that you don’t have to travel standing or that vegetable vendor who just gave you extra vegetable; or a colleague who helped you in a critical meeting. These all are examples of simple acts of kindness that we should be grateful for. A simple thank you in return will do but what is more important is that you should remember their kindness and spread it.

2) Gratitude to the Almighty

This type of gratitude is expressed to God for all the good things happening in your life and the abundance of life providing elements around you. We should be thankful to the almighty for everything he has given us – food, water, air, soil, mountains, flowers, animals, waterfalls, clouds, etc the list could go on and on.

The point is that we should be thankful to God for giving us such a beautiful planet that abounds in food and beauty. We can express our gratitude to God by thanking him with folded hands before every meal or trying not to damage the beautiful earth or to harm any of the creatures that the almighty has created for us. We need to understand that the more we will be grateful to nature and God, the more they will shower us with abundance.

3) Gratitude to Family and Friends

This kind of gratitude is expressed to the closest people around you – family, friends, etc. They play an essential role in your life by giving love and support. It wouldn’t be able to go through the ups and downs of life, without the support of your family and friends. We should always keep this in mind and be grateful to our close ones.

Though they might not help us every day, they sure help us at times when we need help the most. We must always keep this in mind and be willing to return the gratitude when time demands. Sometimes, our physical presence and guidance, suggestions, etc might just be enough to return the favor. Being grateful to family and friends is an act that strengthens not only your personal relationship but also results in a happy and content society.

Gratitude is the most important human expression that proves that humans are sensible and have emotions. Not only humans but sometimes animals are also seen as expressing gratitude and returning a favor, which is as beautiful as it is surprising. We must always express gratitude whenever required and must also return the gesture whenever the opportunity arises.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . Gratitude is the value that makes us feel thankful to others for their help.

Ans . Gratitude is a unique quality because it fills us with positivity and makes us happy.

Ans . We can express our gratitude to thank god and nature for providing us everything we need.

Ans . Gratitude is a powerful quality as it helps in strengthening the bond of relationships.

Ans . Gratitude has the power to turn every refusal to approval and therefore is a secret of happiness.

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    Gratitude Essay 10 Lines (100 - 150 Words) 1) When people help us, the return thankful feeling for them is called gratitude. 2) "Gratus" is the root origin of the word gratitude which means thankful. 3) Gratitude helps in maintaining a good relationship. 4) Accepting and giving gratitude both make people happy.

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