Why We Feel Grateful for Other People’s Good News

Why It Matters

Vicarious gratitude strengthens social bonds and emotional intelligence, key drivers of employee engagement and leadership effectiveness. Organizations that foster this mindset can boost collective morale and resilience.

Key Takeaways

• Vicarious gratitude: feeling thankful for others' positive outcomes
• Occurs when inclusion of other in self (IOS) is strong
• Study: 22% of Canadian undergrads reported vicarious gratitude
• Balanced IOS avoids over‑fusion and complete separation, supporting wellbeing
• Practicing vicarious gratitude can boost relational grounding and shared joy

Pulse Analysis

Vicarious gratitude, a term gaining traction in positive‑psychology circles, describes the sincere thankfulness we feel for another person’s good fortune. Recent surveys of Canadian undergraduates reveal that more than one‑fifth experience this emotion spontaneously, indicating it is a common, though under‑recognized, facet of human social life. By expanding the traditional definition of gratitude beyond direct personal gain, researchers highlight how shared joy can act as a catalyst for broader community cohesion.

The psychological engine behind vicarious gratitude is the inclusion of the other in the self (IOS), a metric that gauges how much we perceive others as part of our identity. When IOS scores are high, the mental boundary between self and other blurs, allowing another’s success to feel like a personal win. However, extremes matter: over‑fusion can erode personal autonomy, while complete separation leaves individuals insulated from collective happiness. Striking a balanced IOS nurtures a sense of mutual mattering, which is linked to higher life satisfaction and lower loneliness.

For businesses, the implications are practical and measurable. Leaders who model vicarious gratitude—celebrating team members’ achievements as if they were their own—foster a culture of shared purpose and psychological safety. This, in turn, drives higher engagement, reduces turnover, and improves collaborative performance. Simple practices such as regular peer‑recognition rituals, reflective gratitude journals that include others’ milestones, and training on relational self‑expansion can embed vicarious gratitude into corporate DNA, turning individual thankfulness into a strategic asset.