There is more to gratitude than meets the eye, and not all of it is for the best.

“Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
— Henri Frederic Amiel(1821-1881), poet and philosopher

Gratitude is a combination of things, primarily two: a thought and an emotion. We experience deep gratitude emotionally, but we explain it intellectually. Intellectual explanations of emotions amount to rationalizations and, in most cases, they are a fraud.

Intellectualizing serves many purposes, and it serves important purposes when it comes to gratitude, but it is not a fair or accurate means of understanding the emotion. By intellectualizing we can distinguish two types of gratitude: selfish and selfless.

Selfish gratitude is needy. It’s contingent and dependent. You will express yourself as being grateful for what you have, or for the support you’re getting. There’s nothing wrong with this.

Gratitude offered with appreciation asks for no reward. This is something that’s already complete and does not look to the future. And while gratitude so offered feels nourishing it can also feel empty…

Gratitude Can Be Rational

Gratitude Can Be Selfish

Gratitude as Support

Hypocrisy, Celebrity, and Deception

A Better Gratitude

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