Sharing positive experiences can increase our perception on others' well-being

• Grant number: 16/19439-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2016
• End date: September 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Physiological Psychology
• Agreement: Natura
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Sérgio Boggio
• Grantee: Ana Luísa Hack
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50282-5 - Positive psychology and neuroscience: translational research to promote well-being and emotional regulation, AP.PCPE

Abstract

With the recent studies in Positive Psychology, it's become evident the need and urgency in comprehending not only the mechanisms of illnesses, but also the ones associated with well-being and human flourishing. The area has grown rapidly over the past decade, but many topics have still been neglected. Gratitude is one of them. Considered by many classic authors as the mother of all virtues, gratitude seems to play a crucial role in well-being, strengthening bonds and pro-social actions. However, most of the few works in the area approach the topic in a correlational way. Furthermore, there are too few studies that have investigated its neurobiological bases. In this sense, this project seeks to investigate the effect of gratitude on the perception of third parties' emotional reactions. (AU)