Thanks in Advance: The Social Function of Gratitude Expressions to Employees in Distress

Drawing on social functional theories of emotions, we document a novel emotion regulatory function of gratitude expressions at work. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we show how expressions of gratitude encourage employees to carry on during times of strain, challenge, and negative emotion, thereby furthering the goals of the organization and its members. In an initial qualitative study, we analyze listserv emails and interviews conducted within intensive care units of a major medical center and discover frequent expressions of gratitude alongside communal social worth, resilience, and persistence. The timing of gratitude expressions—in advance of distress onset or in response to distress—was central to illuminating gratitude's emotion regulatory function. In two distress-inducing experimental studies, we demonstrate that anticipatory gratitude expressions increased resilience among online gig workers compared to response-focused gratitude, and that anticipatory gratitude expressions (compared to hope and no emotional expression) prior to completing a distressing task increased persistence, all via the mechanism of social worth. Together, our studies highlight why gratitude is unique among positive emotions expressed at work, particularly in organizations lacking resources to remedy the more systematic problems underlying employee suffering.