Think about something in the past year for which you are thankful. Is it a person, place, or thing? an event? a state of being? Did you say thank you? How did you express your gratitude? Did it feel sincere or more like satisfying a social grace?
The development of morality is marked in part by the emergence of the moral emotions such as shame, pride, guilt, embarrassment, and empathy. As these emotions develop, they allow children to feel a response in relationship to their own actions toward others. The emotional feedback contributes to that sense of sincerity.