Abstract

The aim of this article is to offer a review of gratitude researches in youth. Gratitude is a positive emotion occurred in exchange-based relationships when one person acknowledges receiving a valuable benefit from others. Gratitude is essential to well-being and mental health throughout the life span. Although the adult literature on gratitude has grown substantially in the past few decades, the empirical research on gratitude in children and adolescent is in its infancy. Gratitude interventions in children and adolescents have a short history, but initial findings are very promising. In this article, I review theoretical and empirical work on gratitude as a moral emotion, discuss the unique benefits of gratitude for youth, and analyze interventions for promoting gratitude in children and adolescents. Finally, I conclude by suggesting implications of gratitude interventions that can be applied in moral education.