Express specific gratitude for acts of moral virtue you witness
Name and thank the specific virtuous acts of people around you — not just their kindness toward you.
Why it works
Haidt distinguishes elevation (responding to virtue generally) from gratitude (responding to benefit to oneself). Expressing gratitude for moral acts that didn’t benefit you directly — "I was moved by how you treated that person" — communicates that you see their character, not just their usefulness. This form of recognition is rare, deeply received, and strengthens the social signal that moral conduct is visible and valued, which increases the likelihood of its repetition.
How to do it
- When you observe a genuine act of virtue in someone around you, tell them specifically what you saw and that it moved you.
- Use first-person observation: "I noticed that you _____. I was genuinely affected."
- Avoid framing it as approval ("good job") — frame it as witnessing ("I saw what you did and I wanted you to know it mattered").
- Aim for at least one such expression per week.
Evidence
Receiving recognition for character rather than performance is supported by self-determination theory (autonomy need) and by feedback research. The elevation-specific mechanism is theoretically consistent but not directly tested. Algoe, Kurtz, and Hilaire (2016) found that other-praising expression — naming the giver’s admirable qualities — is the active relational ingredient in expressed gratitude, supporting the emphasis here on naming the specific virtuous act. (mechanistic)
This is a practitioner application of elevation and gratitude research; the specific effect of non-self-directed moral gratitude on prosocial behavior has not been independently measured.
Sources
- Algoe, S. B., Kurtz, L. E., & Hilaire, N. M. (2016). Putting the 'you' in 'thank you': Examining other-praising behavior as the active relational ingredient in expressed gratitude. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(7), 658–666.
- Algoe, S. B., Haidt, J., & Gable, S. L. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion, 8(3), 425–429.
Common mistake
Conflating this with general complimenting — the mechanism requires naming the specific moral act and your emotional response to it, not generic appreciation.
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More practices for Elevation: The Emotion That Lifts You
- Deliberately seek out acts of moral beauty
Regularly expose yourself to accounts of extraordinary human goodness — in person, in narrative, or in news.
- Keep an elevation journal
Record moments of moral beauty you witness — in others and in yourself — to train your attention toward virtue.
- Act in ways that might elevate others
Make choices with the awareness that others may be watching and may be lifted by what they see.
- Support the physiology of elevation through vagal tone practices
Build the physiological capacity for elevation through practices that strengthen vagal tone.
- Use great moral literature as an elevation source
Read fiction, biography, and history that places exceptional human virtue at the center.
- Cultivate relationships with moral exemplars
Deliberately build closeness with people whose character consistently elevates you.
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- Seligman’s PERMA Model, Made Practical
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- VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
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- Awe Walks, and the Science of Wonder
Why wonder quiets the self, and how to walk for it on purpose