Your Cart is Empty
As Olivia Wilde told Time in an interview,“I try to start every day and end every day by taking a moment to be grateful”—this is especially important during a season of gift-giving and receiving.
Opportunities to enjoy the companionship of family and friends also creates more moments to express appreciation. Besides letting the other person know you like something they said, did, or gave you—you receive benefits from showing appreciation too. It’s like a gift on top of a gift!
Taking time to be thankful and regularly express gratitude can actually change the brain’s molecular structure.
Scientists have used functional MRI to measure brain activity in regards to expressing gratitude. They saw multiple brain regions and reward pathways light up! These findings show that gratitude boosts participant’s serotonin helping produce dopamine. It’s like a natural “happy drug” to our brains when we show appreciation.
In the technologically advancing world we live, full of “thumbs up” and “tada” emojis, the art of a handwritten message is all too quickly being antiquated. There’s nothing quite like receiving a real thank you note.
Whatever season it is and whether you’re saying “thank you,” “I love you,” or “job well done”, handwritten messages mean so much more than a few quick keys typed on a touchscreen or keyboard.
Taking time to show written appreciation underscores to the person receiving it just how important their gift was to you. You took the time and thought to actually write a note of thanks expressing how much it meant—small or great.
Feeling gratitude and expressing that appreciation can improve your mood and mindset, builds trust, and inspires others. So there’s plenty of good reasons to show appreciation, and you’ll be thankful you did!
Reference: