Greater Good Magazine | Elizabeth Hopper
Even though we may believe that it’s important to say thank you, sometimes expressing gratitude is easier said than done. We might find ourselves getting hung up on the details of what to say or the best way to deliver the message. Or we may feel embarrassed about not having expressed gratitude previously. We might even end up feeling guilty or indebted if the person we’re thanking has repeatedly shown us kindness we haven’t yet been able to repay.
[…] According to new research, however, it’s possible we might be making our thanks more complicated than it needs to be. In a paper published earlier this year in The Journal of Positive Psychology, researchers compared the effects of expressing thanks in person, over a video call, and over text. And, while people generally expect an in-person thank-you to be most impactful, what happened in reality was quite different: Sending a thank-you over text was almost as impactful as delivering the message in person. Additionally, texting may be especially well-suited for situations where we feel awkward or embarrassed about expressing our appreciation.
Read more: What Is the Best Way to Deliver a Thank-You?
