The echo effect of gratitude expression in tourism service interactions

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1042.2026.1768

Abstract

Abstract:

Gratitude expression is ubiquitous in interpersonal interactions. Prior research has primarily examined its positive effects from the perspective of a single interactions or a single actor, with limited attention to its dynamic evolution in ongoing interactions. Notably, in tourism service interactions, gratitude expression—characterized by open expressive norms, reciprocal and continuous interaction, and network connectivity—is particularly likely to be continually acknowledged, reciprocated, and amplified across multiple rounds of interaction. In response, this manuscript proposes the echo effect of gratitude expression to describe the dynamic phenomenon whereby the influence of gratitude expressions is continuously extended through repeated feedback during the interaction process. Building on this conceptualization, the manuscript develops two modules comprising three studies. The first module constructs a theoretical framework for the echo effect of gratitude expression. The second adopts a bidirectional interaction perspective to analyze and test the underlying mechanisms through which gratitude expressions exert their effects. This manuscript extends gratitude research from a static perspective to a dynamic, process-oriented one, and offers a novel integrative theoretical lens for understanding the sustained role of emotional expressions in service contexts.

Key words: gratitude expression, echo effect, tourism, tourists, employees

CLC Number:

B849: F713.55

CAO Limei, LI Fangshi, LI Yaoqi. The echo effect of gratitude expression in tourism service interactions[J]. Advances in Psychological Science, 2026, 34(10): 1768-1778.

Figures/Tables 4

References 43

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