Religion/Spirituality and the Twin Virtues of Humility and Gratitude

Authors

• Madalyn R. Cauble, Georgia State University
• Iman Abdulkadir Said, Georgia State University
• Aaron T. McLaughlin, Georgia State University
• Sarah Gazaway, Georgia State University
• Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Hope CollegeFollow
• Joshua N. Hook, University of North Texas
• Ethan K. Lacey, Wheaton College - Illinois
• Edward B. Davis, Wheaton College - Illinois
• Don E. Davis, Georgia State University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Publication Source

Handbook of Positive Psychology Religion and Spirituality

First Page

379

Last Page

393

ISBN

[9783031102738, 9783031102745]

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the literature on religion/spirituality (R/S) and the twin virtues of humility and gratitude. We focused on articles that were published in peer-reviewed journals and included both a measure of religion/spirituality and humility or gratitude. We focus our review by exploring two questions: (1) how is R/S associated with humility and gratitude, and (2) how might humility and gratitude work in tandem (consistent with the social oil hypothesis of humility)? We found cross-sectional evidence linking R/S and humility and gratitude. Additional work is needed to test the recent theory on how humility and gratitude may work together to promote and protect strong relationships, especially at the collective level. We suggest ways to catalyze research in this area, including the potential for future work aligning humility and gratitude. We also identify implications for practice both in clinical settings and religious communities.

Keywords

Gratitude, Humility, Religion, Spirituality, Virtue

Recommended Citation

Published in: Handbook of Positive Psychology Religion and Spirituality, January 1, 2022, pages 379-393.