Gratitude and Appreciation – What Roles Do they Play?

Gratitude and Appreciation: What Roles Do They Play in Our Lives?

Today, I decided to discuss the topic of the differences between gratitude and appreciation. For many years, psychologists have debated how these two play a role in our lives.

First of all, what is gratitude and appreciation? Are they a feeling, a gesture, an attitude, or an emotion?

Gratitude, according to Wikipedia:

Thankfulness, or gratefulness, is from the Latin word gratus, which means "pleasing" or "thankful". It is regarded as a feeling of appreciation (or a similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness. This can be gifts, help, favors, or another form of generosity to another person. The absence of gratitude where gratitude is expected is ingratitude or ungratefulness. Historically, gratitude has been a part of several world religions. It has also been a topic of interest to ancient, medieval, and modern philosophers.

Appreciation according to Britannica Dictionary:

It is an ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of something: an ability to appreciate something or a feeling of being grateful for something.

Here are two scenarios for you to reflect on...

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Gratitude or Appreciation? Or both?

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Scenario one:

Let us say you and a child are sitting on your front porch, talking about how beautiful the day is. The child then sees the pretty garden of flowers in your yard. Without hesitation, the child decides to gather some of them up and bring the flowers to you.

Is it better to show your gratitude?

or do you just take the flowers inside and place them in a vase on the table and say nothing?

Most of you are thinking to yourself, of course, we would say thank you and give the child a big hug. Maybe even a special something like a cookie or two to show our gratitude and appreciation for their thoughtfulness.

The flipside of the coin is, if we have gratitude for an act of kindness from someone besides ourselves, do we have to reciprocate?

What are your thoughts on this situation?

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Is it Gratitude or Appreciation? Or Both?

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Scenario two:

You are sitting on your front porch with your pet, enjoying your time outside. Your pet gets off its leash and runs out into the road. A car comes down the road and hits your pet. The person gets out and brings your hurt pet to you. They apologize and say they are sorry. They then get back in their car and leave.

Do you show them gratitude or appreciation?

Do you let your emotions get the best of you?

What are your thoughts?

If you would like to share your thoughts on this post, you can do so in the comments section at the bottom of this blog.

It is a tough scenario. There is a lot to consider in this scenario, including the consequences of the actions of the person in the car and the results of your own actions.

It is important to understand the impact the choices we make have on our own and others' conscious well-being.

When someone truly gives of themselves to another without expectation, do we acknowledge their kindness with gratitude or is it appreciation?

Considering this scenario, it is both gratitude and appreciation. I would be grateful if they stopped and did not keep driving. Also, I would appreciate it if they took the time to bring my pet to me instead of leaving it on the road.

In contrast, some might simply feel emotional in the moment and not empathize with the situation or respond positively.

After taking time and reflecting on the situation. A later feeling of gratitude may lead them to send a note of thanks to the driver of the car (if information was exchanged) to say how grateful they were for their thoughtfulness.

To conclude, I wish to remind you that there will be gleaming days with positive outlooks. You should appreciate those days and be grateful for them.

There will also be days when life is not just a bouquet of roses. The first thing you need to do when these situations arise is to step back and assess the situation, and then react. Since your actions may have a ripple effect on others as well.

"The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see."

Quoted by Dr. Robert Holden

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