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There is a dearth of empirical research distinguishing gratitude to God (GTG) from interhuman gratitude (IHG). This study explored linguistic (quantitative) and thematic (qualitative) differences in letters of GTG and letters of IHG. Participants (N = 326 undergraduate students) were randomly assigned to write (a) a letter of GTG, (b) a letter of IHG, or (c) a description of their daily morning routine. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 was used to examine linguistic differences and conventional content analysis was used to explore thematic differences. Few linguistic differences were observed between the gratitude-writing conditions, but both gratitude conditions reported more affective, cognitive, and past-focused time-oriented language compared to the control condition. Qualitative analyses revealed participants in the GTG condition identified a greater breadth and depth of benefits compared to the IHG condition, and there were unique differences pertaining to non-gratitude expressions. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the flourishing psychological literature on gratitude that has accumulated over the past several decades, researchers have only recently started to programmatically study Gratitude to God (GTG). Given that gratitude has consistently demonstrated positive relationships with relational virtues, the current study examined the degree to which GTG is associated with forgiveness, relational humility, and altruism, above and beyond domain-general gratitude and religious commitment. Participants (N = 582 undergraduates) rated themselves on measures of religious commitment, domain-general gratitude, GTG, forgiveness, relational humility, and altruism. GTG positively predicted forgiveness over and above domain-general gratitude. GTG positively predicted relational humility over and above domain-general gratitude in participants with high levels of religious commitment. For altruism, neither GTG nor domain-general gratitude was a significant predictor, but religious commitment was a positive predictor. We conclude with a discussion of methodological limitations and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In two pre-registered studies we investigated the cognitive context of gratitude to God (GTG) and fading positive affect of grateful memories. Although gratitude has been shown to causally impact happiness, few studies have investigated how the nature of the benefactor might affect experienced gratitude. Participants first recalled a positive event, a human-caused benefit, or a God-caused benefit. After recall they reported their current momentary emotions, recalled past emotions from the time of the event and emotion appraisals. Grateful memories showed less fading positive affect over time compared to other positive memories. Appraisals of value and altruism predicted both GTG and gratitude to humans (GTH). Positive spiritual appraisals (e.g. positive interpretations about one's relationship with God, the sacred giftedness of the event) were uniquely associated with GTG. When it comes to felt gratitude, the nature of the benefactor does matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on intellectual humility has grown, but little work has explored its role in moral decisions. Building on recent work on the Veil of Ignorance, we randomly assigned some participants to imagine being part of an existentially-threatening situation that could possibly lead to the greater good for society (i.e. The Human Challenge Experiments [HCE]). We predicted that informing participants that they might be part of such a study (i.e. the veil of ignorance [VOI]) would reduce HCE support, and that this would be amplified among intellectually humble participants. A preregistered study (N = 1,032) drawn from three samples, including participants from the United States (n = 346), the Netherlands (n = 340), and Hong Kong (n = 346), confirmed our hypothesis. In addition, this effect was pronounced for those high in intellectual humility. This work offers a novel contribution by examining the role of intellectual humility in existentially-relevant moral decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article concludes the special issue on the interdisciplinary study of intellectual humility. We offer five suggestions for addressing some of the key challenges facing scholarship. These suggestions include (a) finding sources of common ground, (b) focusing on areas of conceptual tension, (c) applying new methods, (d) tackling big problems together, and (e) keep choppin' (i.e., return to the fundamentals of gradually advancing a research program). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on intellectual humility has accumulated rapidly. In this content analysis, we review existing published empirical work. We conducted searches using Google Scholar, ProQuest, and PsycInfo and found 59 articles with 134 samples. Most studies have focused on convenience samples and used similar measurement approaches – self-reports of intellectual humility. Nonetheless, some teams are beginning to move towards methods that can test causal implications of evolving theory, such as experimental methods or longitudinal studies. Furthermore, although most studies have focused on measurement issues, some scholars are beginning to venture out into applied work on intellectual humility. At least initially, researchers are gravitating towards areas where cultural ideology and commitment-related biases might put pressure on individuals to prioritize loyalty over truth seeking. Implications for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present three studies to examine intellectual humility (IH) contextualized to existential challenges across cultures. With samples (N = 1714) drawn from three regions (United States, Hong Kong, Netherlands), we explore the benefits and drawbacks of various configurations of IH and commitment to beliefs. In two studies, we created a measure of IH contextualized to existential concerns (Study 1; N = 344 adults in the U.S.), replicated its factor structure, and identified distinct profiles of belief commitment and IH (Study 2; N = 340 adults in the U.S.). Then, in our primary study (Study 3; N = 1030 adults from the U.S., Netherlands, and Hong Kong), we examined evidence for the cultural generalizability of the measure and profiles. Implications for future research on the measurement of IH, its manifestation across cultures, and its relevance to the existential domain are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has accumulated over the years to support the adage that 'money can't buy happiness.' As an alternative to the high-consumption lifestyle often found in Western cultures, voluntary simplicity (also referred to as minimalism), involves a lifestyle that is focused on reducing consumption and the excess in one's life so that individuals can focus on prioritizing their values. We reviewed the empirical literature for studies that explored the relationship between voluntary simplicity and well-being. Twenty-three empirical studies were identified. Overall, a consistent positive relationship was found between voluntary simplicity and well-being. Potential mechanisms to explain this relationship included the control of consumption desires and psychological need satisfaction. Potential moderator variables included income, age, and the extent to which voluntary simplicity was self- vs. other-initiated. We concluded by discussing limitations and future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive psychologists have used science to understand many virtues but have only just started to study grace, recently defined as ' ... the gift of acceptance given unconditionally and voluntarily to an undeserving person by an unobligated giver'. The purpose of the current article is to provide a systematic review of all empirical studies (published and unpublished) on grace. Broadly, the empirical study of grace has focused on what people believe and how people experience both divine and human grace. Additionally, empirical attention has shifted to explore outcomes of grace-based interventions (e.g., congregation-wide interventions, marital interventions). In general, beliefs and experiences of grace were associated with (a) positive mental health outcomes, (b) religiosity, (c) virtue development, and (d) interpersonal functioning. Human grace has not been extensively explored and divine grace has been studied mostly among Christians; future studies should address these limitations and explore causal relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief article sets up the special issue on the interdisciplinary study of intellectual humility. The issue includes a target article as well as commentary focused on three areas. First, several authors focused on conceptual or measurement. Second, several authors focus on how to move towards conceptual synthesis, especially given the many voices, methodologies, and values that pull research in different directions. Third, several authors considered the potential and challenges of a transition towards applied research on IH. The special issue also includes a content analysis as well as an empirical illustration of some of the key themes that arose within the discussants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the current political environment in the United States and around the world becomes more polarized, it is important to better understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of engaging political discourse with political humility. Across two studies, we explored the predictors of political humility (Study 1), and how political humility might impact engagement with different viewpoints (Study 2). In Study 1 (N = 311), political humility was positively related to openness, but negatively associated with political commitment. In Study 2 (N = 194), controlling for political commitment, political humility was positively associated with identifying positives in the opposite political perspective, identifying the results of a neutral essay as inconclusive, and having more favorable ratings of a political essay contrary to their own views. On the other hand, political humility was negatively related to experiential avoidance. We conclude by discussing limitations and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this response to the target article, we anticipate some challenges that joy researchers will face in attempting to cultivate a research program on a revived and more robust understanding of joy. Every psychological literature has a measurement phase. We name three pitfalls to avoid during this phase, including becoming too preoccupied with concerns about self-reports, conceptual sprawl, and entering a crowded conceptual space. Gratitude and joy are not only close neighbors; we contend that joy researchers can learn from gratitude's much less tumultuous measurement phase compared to forgiveness and humility. We suggest two strategies that might help propel a 'robust joy' scholarship past the three pitfalls. These include mining theological theories for empirically testable predictions to big questions within psychological science and moving quickly to ground the study of robust joy with brief, applied methods of inducing joy that join basic research on mechanisms with application early on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relational humility (RH) is associated with positive outcomes (e.g., fewer depressive symptoms; less couple conflict). Traditional conceptualizations of RH rely on other-report measures, but do not account for how one's perception of another's humility relates to one's RH prototype (i.e., one's expectations of how humble others, such as a spouse, should be). The current study (N = 69 couples; mean age = 30.80 years; 71% white) analyzed the effect of RH prototypes on the association between participants' perception of their spouse's RH and their reports of depressive symptoms and couple conflict. RH prototype was tested as both a moderator and a mediator to these associations. Actor-partner independence moderation and mediation models indicated that RH prototype functions as a moderator in the association between perceived spousal RH and both depressive symptoms and couple conflict, wherein greater discrepancies between spousal RH and RH prototype was associated with more depressive symptoms and conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this longitudinal qualitative study was to develop a grounded theory of religious meaning making and attachment in a disaster context. At 1-month (T1; n = 36) and 6-months postdisaster (T2; n = 29), we conducted in-depth interviews with a highly religious sample of adult survivors of the 2016 Louisiana flood, using a disaster-adapted version of the Religious Attachment Interview. We utilized Corbin and Strauss's grounded-theory approach for data analysis. At both timepoints, results revealed that survivors who were theistic believers engaged in postdisaster religious meaning making in which they drew on benevolent God representations and theodicies to appraise the disaster's cause, purpose, and religious-attachment effects, thereby contributing to positive religious-attachment outcomes (religious meanings made; e.g. renewed beliefs and experiences of God's benevolence and providence). Findings are discussed in terms of theories and research on disasters, meaning making, and religious attachment, including implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Less than ten years ago, humility science seemed stuck with intractable measurement problems. Due to theoretical innovations, measures have proliferated in recent years. Humility science now faces a critical task of reconciling definitions and measures. We reviewed 22 measures of humility, including (a) survey measures of general humility, (b) survey measures of humility subdomains, (c) indirect measures of humility, and (d) state measures of humility. We coded each item of each measure into a humility content domain and compared the various content areas covered by each measure. Then, we described the scale structure and evidence pertaining to reliability and validity. Finally, we identified the relatively stronger measures of humility and recommended a consolidated definition of humility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report two studies of romantic couples that examine the interactive effects of actor and partner humility on individual, relational, and physiological well-being. Using both longitudinal (Study 1) and physiological (Study 2) methods from two samples of romantic couples, we explored the interactive effects of actor and partner humility. Individuals in dyads with complementary high humility reported better mental health over time following a major life transition, the birth of their first child, in Study 1 and higher relationship satisfaction and lower physiological responses (i.e. blood pressure) following the discussion of a topic of disagreement in Study 2. These results suggest that being humble is beneficial when one has a humble partner, but being arrogant - especially within a disagreement with one's partner - could undermine the benefits of humility. That is, the benefits of humility are greatest in dyads in which both partners are humble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the role of intellectual humility (IH) in promoting attitude change and relationship closeness in the context of religious disagreement. Participants (N = 174) completed a preliminary survey that assessed their attitude on several contentious religious issues (e.g. gay marriage, abortion). Participants who disagreed about a contentious religious issue were then paired and engaged in a 10-min discussion. After the discussion, participants completed a series of questionnaires. The greatest degree of attitude change was seen in pairs with mutually high levels of IH, in which the participant self-reported high levels of IH and also perceived the discussion partner to have high levels of IH. Higher perceptions of the IH levels of the discussion partner predicted higher levels of closeness and trust. We discuss limitations, areas for future research, and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This response addresses three key themes related to the interdisciplinary study of virtue: limitations of self-reports, demoting of the virtues, and concerns about cultural issues. I suggest that self-regulation theories of how people develop virtues are needed in order to understand how virtues (even just two at a time) may work in tandem to influence behavior. I suggest that psychologists and philosophers approach an interdisciplinary conversation about virtue with an eye towards the limitations in our field's typical way of approaching constructs. Such an approach provides an opportunity to see problems that are typically masked by disciplinary habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humility predicts relationship satisfaction, partially mediated by commitment, in college students. The present study tested this mediation in a non-college sample of participants who have been in exclusive relationships for at least three months (N = 349). We supported a partial mediation model in predicting relationship satisfaction (Hypothesis 1). After controlling for commitment, accurate view of self was the most important factor in predicting relational satisfaction (Hypothesis 2). A simultaneous meditational analysis revealed that perceived humility predicted relationship satisfaction, mediated by gratitude in relationships (Hypothesis 3). A multiple regression analysis revealed that after controlling for personal virtues, perceiving humility in one’s partner predicted additional variance in relational satisfaction (Hypothesis 4). Our study provided support for a mediational model, but do not allow causal inferences because of cross-sectional design. Thus, we recommend that future studies include longitudinal studies to investigate the meditational models we observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to parenthood is a challenging experience that often strains relationships, but perceiving one’s partner as humble (actor relational humility) and being perceived by one’s partner as humble (partner relational humility) were hypothesized to benefit couples during this transition. Married couples (N = 69) were tracked from the third trimester of pregnancy through 21 months postpartum. Husbands and wives provided ratings of relational humility and dyadic adjustment. Actor–partner interdependence models tested actor and partner effects of relational humility on dyadic adjustment across the transition. Although couples declined in dyadic adjustment over the transition at the same rate regardless of relational humility (counter to Hypothesis 2), those higher in relational humility reported greater dyadic adjustment at each time point during the transition (consistent with Hypothesis 1). These findings support the benefits of relational humility to relationship quality, and we call for further research into humility’s benefits during times of relationship transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a workbook intervention designed to promote selfforgiveness, acceptance of responsibility, and willingness to make amends/reparations in a university student sample. The intervention manual consisted of three parts: (a) promoting prosocial and responsible attitudes, (b) reducing barriers to self-forgiveness, and (c) promoting healthy thinking and behaviors. Outcome measures included acceptance of responsibility, motivation to make reparations, and state and trait self-forgiveness. Measures were administered pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (N = 50) or a control group (N = 43). The control group studied materials for their university courses instead of completing the intervention. Following the intervention, the intervention group had significantly a higher state and dispositional self-forgiveness post-test compared to the control group. Changes in acceptance of responsibility and willingness to make reparations did not reach statistical significance as compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on self-forgiveness is mixed. Some argue self-forgiveness may have a salutary influence on mental health problems following an offense, whereas others suggest it may provide an excuse to reoffend. In two studies, we provide correlational and experimental evidence for the salutary effects of self-forgiveness following an offense. In Study 1 (N = 100), self-forgiveness was associated with lower levels of disordered eating behavior. In Study 2 (N = 462), participants recalled a drinking-related transgression, and were randomly assigned to a self-forgiveness or neutral priming condition. Results revealed that participants in the self-forgiveness condition reported significantly more self-forgiving beliefs and fewer feelings of remorse and self-condemnation than participants in the neutral priming condition to the degree that participants believed their drinking was the cause of the offense. These findings highlight the salutary effects of self-forgiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explored the relationship between (a) intellectual humility toward religious beliefs and values and (b) religious tolerance. Pastors who identified as Christian (N = 196) completed measures of conservatism, religious commitment, intellectual humility toward religious beliefs and values, and religious tolerance. Intellectual humility was a positive predictor of religious tolerance, even when controlling for conservatism and religious commitment. An interaction was found between exposure to religious diversity and intellectual humility, such that exposure to religious diversity was positively related to religious tolerance only for participants who reported high levels of intellectual humility. We conclude by discussing limitations, areas for future research, and implications for interfaith dialog and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many scholars have sharply distinguished humility from modesty, several research teams recently conceptualized modesty as a subdomain of humility. In the present study, we compare these competing conceptualizations using confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 1, a model with general humility (i.e. second-order factor) predicting the subscales of the Relational Humility Scale (RHS) and the Modesty facet of the HEXACO-PI showed adequate fit; and modesty showed one of the stronger factor loadings on the higher order factor. In Study 2, we used a set of items designed to sharpen the potential distinction between modesty (i.e. interpersonal behavior involving moderating attention to self) and humility. Then, we tested a model with a general humility factor (i.e. second-order factor) predicting subscales of the RHS and modesty items. Once again, modesty items loaded strongly on the higher order factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence indicates that dispositional gratitude may improve romantic relationships by reinforcing positive emotions between partners and by increasing awareness of affective needs, such as receiving emotional support, nurturance, and reassurance. However, little research has investigated the influence of gratitude on relationships characterized by violence. In the present study, participants (N = 421) completed a cross-sectional survey of experiences with dating violence, dispositional gratitude, and affective need. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Among individuals with lower rates of dispositional gratitude, higher levels of affective need were associated with lower frequency of dating violence victimization. However, among individuals with higher rates of dispositional gratitude, there was no evidence to suggest an association between affective need and frequency of victimization. These preliminary findings compel further investigation of how positive processes impact the perceived qualities of negative romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies provide evidence for distinguishing intellectual humility (IH) from general humility (GH). Humility involves (a) an Accurate View of Self and (b) the ability to regulate egotism and cultivate an other-oriented stance; IH is a subdomain of humility that involves (a) having an accurate view of one’s intellectual strengths and limitations and (b) the ability to negotiate ideas in a fair and inoffensive manner. First, we present a theoretical framework for distinguishing these constructs. In Study 1, with a sample of undergraduate students (N = 1097), we used confirmatory factor analysis to provide empirical evidence for this distinction. We also found that IH predicted unique variance in openness to experience relative to GH. In Study 2, we examined additional evidence of discriminant validity with another sample of college students (N = 355). IH also predicted unique variance in need for cognition, objectivism, and religious ethnocentrism relative to GH. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A central feature of meaning in life is a consideration of more than oneself. We extend this logic to suggest that altruistically motivated prosociality – acting in ways that benefit others – is a self-transcending action that may provide meaning in life. Study 1 provided evidence of a relationship between self-reported prosocial behavior and meaning in life, even after statistically controlling for personality traits and self-esteem. Study 2 provided evidence that engaging in a prosocial action, via writing notes of gratitude, increased meaning in life. Study 3 provided evidence that individuals bolster perceptions of prosociality following threats to meaning. Study 4 suggested relationship satisfaction partially mediates the link between prosocial actions and meaning in life. These studies provide initial evidence that prosociality enhances meaning in life. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Humility is marked by the regulation of selfish impulses for the sake of others, including holding a modest view of one’s beliefs (and their relative strengths and weaknesses). In three studies, we evaluated the extent to which humility attenuates negative attitudes, behavioral intentions, and behaviors toward religious out-group members. In Study 1 (N = 159), humility regarding religious beliefs was associated with positive attitudes toward religiously different individuals. In Study 2 (N = 149), relational and intellectual humility were associated with less aggressive behavioral intentions in a hypothetical situation in which their cherished beliefs were criticized. In Study 3 (N = 62), participants implicitly primed with humility administered significantly less hot sauce (a behavioral measure of aggression) to a religious out-group member who criticized their cherished views relative to participants in the neutral prime condition. We highlight the importance of humility in promoting positive attitudes and behaviors toward religious out-group members. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents two studies that examined how perceptions of intellectual humility affect response to a transgression by a religious leader. In Study 1, participants (N = 105) rated the religious leader on intellectual humility regarding different religious beliefs and values, as well as general humility and forgiveness of the leader for a transgression. Perceived intellectual humility was positively associated with forgiveness, even when controlling for perceived general humility. In Study 2, we replicated the findings from Study 1 on an independent sample (N = 299). Also, the type of offense moderated the association between perceived intellectual humility and forgiveness. For participants, who reported an offense in the area of religious beliefs, values, or convictions, the association between perceived intellectual humility and forgiveness was stronger than for participants, who reported a different type of offense. We conclude by discussing limitations and areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Previous research has highlighted the social nature of humility. In three studies, we provide evidence that humility facilitates the initiation and maintenance of romantic relationships. In Study 1, very humble potential dating partners, relative to less humble partners, were rated more favorably and were more likely to elicit intentions to initiate a romantic relationship. Study 2 was a conceptual replication of Study 1 that provided evidence that participants find humble potential dating partners more attractive than arrogant dating partners. In Study 3, we examined perceptions of humility in participants in proximal or long-distance relationships. We found that humility buffers against unforgiveness in long-distant relationships. Although long-distance relationships were associated with greater unforgiveness, this effect was only present when partners were viewed as having low humility. Together, these findings highlight the social benefits of humility in initiating and maintaining romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One problem in forgiveness research is the reliance on one method (i.e. having people recall an offense and complete self-report measures). Thus, we present two strategies for studying forgiveness-related behavior. First, we adapted the Cyberball paradigm, which is a game of toss where two computer players (ostensibly virtual players) exclude the participant from play. We adapted Cyberball to include a second round that gave participants the opportunity to retaliate or forgive the player who excluded them. Self-reported forgiveness predicted the first toss and total number of tosses to the offender in the subsequent round. Second, we had participants describe an offense (as is typical with the recall method), but then also complete an activity in which they listed as many positive qualities as they could about the offender. Self-reported forgiveness predicted the number of positive qualities listed. We discuss the contribution of these studies to the multimodal study of forgiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humility is an understudied virtue in positive psychology. Both conceptual and methodological challenges have retarded its study. In this article, we discuss how humility has been defined. Specifically, researchers disagree whether humility refers to the accuracy of an individual's view of self, or whether humility primarily describes someone's interpersonal stance toward others. We critique four approaches that researchers have used to measure humility: self-reports, implicit measures, social comparisons of self to others, and informant ratings of humility. We then theoretically elaborate on the later method, which has been mostly overlooked. Accordingly, we present a model of relational humility. We define humility as a relationship-specific personality judgment, and we describe the relationship factors that affect how humility is perceived [Funder, D.C. (1995). On the accuracy of personality judgment: A realistic approach. Psychological Review, 102, 652-670.]. Finally, we provide next steps for researchers using a relational approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]