Are We Essential, or Sacrificial? The Effects of Felt Public Gratitude on Essential Worker Recovery Activities During COVID-19

Hee Young Kim; Sijun Kim; Taeya M. Howell; Sarah P. Doyle; Nathan C. Pettit; Michael Bizzarro

doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221077858

Are We Essential, or Sacrificial? The Effects of Felt Public Gratitude on Essential Worker Recovery Activities During COVID-19

Hee Young Kim, Sijun Kim, Taeya M. Howell, Sarah P. Doyle, Nathan C. Pettit, Michael Bizzarro

Management and Organizations

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

COVID-19 has been characterized by unprecedented levels of public gratitude to some, but not all, essential workers. In this research, we integrate insights from the stigmatized occupations and gratitude literature to build theory on the positive and negative relationships between such displays of public gratitude and essential workers’ recovery activities. We argue that felt public gratitude positively relates to adaptive recovery activities (e.g., exercise) and negatively relates to maladaptive recovery activities (e.g., overdrinking). We further explain how felt public gratitude impacts (mal)adaptive recovery activities through (a) felt invisibility and (b) negative/positive affect. We find support for our predictions in a two-wave survey of 186 corrections officers (Study 1) and an experiment with 379 essential workers across a variety of industries (Study 2).

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	218-227
Number of pages	10
Journal	Social Psychological and Personality Science
Volume	14
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221077858
State	Published - Mar 2023

Keywords

COVID-19
essential work
felt gratitude
recovery activities
social worth

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Clinical Psychology

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https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221077858

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title = "Are We Essential, or Sacrificial? The Effects of Felt Public Gratitude on Essential Worker Recovery Activities During COVID-19",

abstract = "COVID-19 has been characterized by unprecedented levels of public gratitude to some, but not all, essential workers. In this research, we integrate insights from the stigmatized occupations and gratitude literature to build theory on the positive and negative relationships between such displays of public gratitude and essential workers{\textquoteright} recovery activities. We argue that felt public gratitude positively relates to adaptive recovery activities (e.g., exercise) and negatively relates to maladaptive recovery activities (e.g., overdrinking). We further explain how felt public gratitude impacts (mal)adaptive recovery activities through (a) felt invisibility and (b) negative/positive affect. We find support for our predictions in a two-wave survey of 186 corrections officers (Study 1) and an experiment with 379 essential workers across a variety of industries (Study 2).",

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author = "Kim, {Hee Young} and Sijun Kim and Howell, {Taeya M.} and Doyle, {Sarah P.} and Pettit, {Nathan C.} and Michael Bizzarro",

note = "Funding Information: This research was funded through the personal research funds of the authors. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2022.",

year = "2023",

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doi = "https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221077858",

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AU - Kim, Sijun

AU - Howell, Taeya M.

AU - Doyle, Sarah P.

AU - Pettit, Nathan C.

AU - Bizzarro, Michael

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded through the personal research funds of the authors. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.

PY - 2023/3

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N2 - COVID-19 has been characterized by unprecedented levels of public gratitude to some, but not all, essential workers. In this research, we integrate insights from the stigmatized occupations and gratitude literature to build theory on the positive and negative relationships between such displays of public gratitude and essential workers’ recovery activities. We argue that felt public gratitude positively relates to adaptive recovery activities (e.g., exercise) and negatively relates to maladaptive recovery activities (e.g., overdrinking). We further explain how felt public gratitude impacts (mal)adaptive recovery activities through (a) felt invisibility and (b) negative/positive affect. We find support for our predictions in a two-wave survey of 186 corrections officers (Study 1) and an experiment with 379 essential workers across a variety of industries (Study 2).

AB - COVID-19 has been characterized by unprecedented levels of public gratitude to some, but not all, essential workers. In this research, we integrate insights from the stigmatized occupations and gratitude literature to build theory on the positive and negative relationships between such displays of public gratitude and essential workers’ recovery activities. We argue that felt public gratitude positively relates to adaptive recovery activities (e.g., exercise) and negatively relates to maladaptive recovery activities (e.g., overdrinking). We further explain how felt public gratitude impacts (mal)adaptive recovery activities through (a) felt invisibility and (b) negative/positive affect. We find support for our predictions in a two-wave survey of 186 corrections officers (Study 1) and an experiment with 379 essential workers across a variety of industries (Study 2).

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KW - social worth

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Are We Essential, or Sacrificial? The Effects of Felt Public Gratitude on Essential Worker Recovery Activities During COVID-19

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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