Psychological Science 21(4) 574 –580 © The Author(s) 2010 Reprints and permission:

Research on gratitude has been burgeoning. Gratitude has been defined as an emotion or state resulting from an aware-ness and appreciation of that which is valuable and meaningful to oneself (Lambert, Graham, & Fincham, in press). Recent research has demonstrated that feeling grateful enhances phys-ical health (Emmons & McCullough, 2003), promotes positive reframing of negative situations (Lambert, Graham, Fincham, & Stillman, in press), increases life satisfaction (Lambert, Fin-cham, Stillman, & Dean, 2009), and enhances comfort in voic-ing relationship concerns (Lambert & Fincham, 2010b). Few people would argue with the proposition that it is a good idea to express gratitude for a relationship partner’s sup-portive behaviors. Indeed, virtually every etiquette book advo-cates writing thank-you notes for gifts received or, at the very least, expressing verbal thanks. From an early age, children are urged to express thanks for courtesies extended to them. Doing so presumably conveys to benefactors that their efforts have been noticed and are appreciated, and presumably encourages them to act in a similar fashion in the future. Thus, not surprisingly, people report that expressing gratitude is important to the quality of their relationships (Algoe, Haidt, &amp