Appreciation Experiences in Daily Life
Summary:
The study has two major lines of inquiry. First, can appreciation expression go wrong? The prevailing opinion is that appreciation is a positive experience, but that is not always the case. After conducting grounded theory qualitative research on appreciation expressions in a specific context (the workplace), it became apparent that appreciation can be a positive experience for the expresser and the receiver, but it can also be a negative experience for the receiver. This research project is currently studying daily appreciation experiences in the workplace to investigate these experiences from the perspectives of both the expresser and the receiver. We aim to uncover when and how appreciation expressions go right and when they go wrong, whether both sides of the interaction share the same emotional and psychological experience, and the immediate outcomes of appreciation expression for each individual. Second, and relatedly, are gratitude and appreciation the same thing? According to researchers and theorists, there are distinct differences between gratitude and appreciation. Our research is investigating these differences from the theoretical point of view, but also from a lay-person point of view, using cultural consensus to uncover common definitions and differentiations.
Project Leads:
Kathryn Doiron and Christina Putrov
Project Team Members:
Ezra Isabel Cabreros, Jaymes Paolo Rombaoa, Kelsey Carpenter, Sharon Hong (past), Saumya Aggarwal (past), Quynh (Queenie) Nguyen (past)