When is the last time you’ve written a thank you note? When is the last time you received one? You probably don't stand strong on both fronts, as thank you notes are often underestimated.

Expressing genuine gratitude through a few thoughtful sentences has many benefits. Something seemingly insignificant, such as thank you notes, can help your well-being. It can also contribute to improving the well-being of someone else.

It’s time to demystify the true value of thank you notes. This is why we present to you several reasons why writing thank you notes should become your next good habit.

1. Let the Gratitude Lift Your Spirits

Gratitude has immense power! Some studies have even shown that expressing gratitude has health benefits such as reducing pains and aches and pains.

But that’s not all. Expressing gratitude also brings psychological benefits like reducing depression and a feeling of well-being.

While you can keep the things you are thankful for safely stored in your mind, writing it down is much more effective.

The simplest thank you note, such as thanking your colleague for bringing doughnuts to work, can make you feel more joyful. There is a huge difference between yelling “thank you” across the hall and presenting that person with a small token of appreciation.

Just the thought that you did something today to make someone else feel appreciated will lift your spirits.

2. Shift Your Mindset to Positivity

Your mind creates the world you live in. If you focus on negativity, how can you be content with your life? You can’t.

Thank you notes can be a simple habit that helps you practice positivity. Writing what you are thankful for, whether that’s a wedding present or the fact that your kids washed the dishes to surprise you, will put the spotlight on the good in your life.

When you put it on paper, it will be harder to ignore the positive. At some point, you'll notice, "Hey, I have more to be thankful for than to complain about."

The fact that thank you notes can be written for important acts and trivial things contributes even more. You won’t be able to miss out on the small stuff, and you’ll have more reasons to feel thankful and positive.

3. Show Your Appreciation

The lack of confidence and self-love that many people experience would improve if we were more open towards showing appreciation. Imagine if people were to remind you every once in a while about the things you do that make them happy. Wouldn’t that be incredible?

You can start doing that for other people. Start the cycle. Show how much you appreciate them.

Thank you notes don’t have to be just a polite expression for gifts and attendance. Leave a thank you note for your spouse, for example, simply stating, “Thank you for making me smile each day.”

Such an act will take you 30 seconds but will make your loved ones feel loved and valuable.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that your appreciation is implied. Show it. Let the people you care about know that you appreciate them.

4. Make People Happy

The effect that thank you notes have is yet to be recognized by wide masses. The biggest issue with thank you notes is that people don't understand how receiving them makes people feel.

Now, let me share with you something that can change your mind. A professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies well-being, Amit Kumar, did a study on gratitude and showing appreciation.

The recipients of thank you notes filled out a questionnaire about how it made them feel. The majority scored the happiness rating at 4 of 5 and expressed that they were “ecstatic.” However, the senders of thank you notes guessed that they’ll evoke a 3 in happiness rating.

Thank you notes make recipients happier than most of us think. Maybe someone is having a bad day or feels underappreciated. But then comes your thank you note, showing them that there is someone out there who is thankful for their existence and actions. How can something like that not put a smile on their face?

5. Improve Your Relationships

The unsaid words often keep us apart from building more meaningful relationships. While we obsess about what someone will think about our actions and avoid opening up, we can miss out on truly getting to know people.

Thank you notes can break those invisible walls we sometimes unintentionally lift high. Once you make the first step and show that expressing your feelings is okay, the person on the other side can be willing to make the next one.

The warm and kind words you share in thank you notes can bring people together. Thank you notes can start a new tradition of openly sharing love, support, and gratitude.

Closing Thoughts

The benefits of writing thank you notes are larger than people presume. The most intriguing part about thank you notes is that they don't take long (only a few minutes of your time), but they can make a world of difference for you and the recipient.

Nothing is holding you back from expressing your gratitude with thank you notes. That awkward feeling that possibly accompanies you is overestimated, remember that.

That’s why you should read these reasons for writing thank you notes as many times as you need. They will be here for you as a reminder of how that little note filled with love and gratitude can turn your life around.