Today as I was going through cabinets and organizing things I\npulled out my box I keep of handwritten notes and cards people have written to\nme over the years and I began reading a few of them. What an awesome way to boost your emotional\nwell-being! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s face it – if someone asked you to show them all of the\ngifts you\u2019ve gotten for the last ten years on your birthday for for Christmas\ncould you remember what they were? I\nknow I couldn\u2019t\u2026(\u2026except for the time my husband surprised me with a new\nBentley convertible for my birthday\u2026but that one would be impossible to forget\u2026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand if someone asked you to show them the box\nof handwritten notes and cards you\u2019ve gotten over the years from people we\u2019d\nall know exactly where our special box full of them is. That\u2019s because there is something undeniably special\nabout receiving a handwritten note or card and that is why we save them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who feel awkward about sending handwritten notes or think they won\u2019t be valued by the recipient, you ought to consider the results of this study that was published in the journal Psychological Science, titled \u201cUndervaluing Gratitude: Expressers Misunderstand the Consequences of Showing Appreciation<\/a>\u201d conducted three different experiments in which participants wrote handwritten notes to express gratitude to someone and then they were asked to predict how surprised, happy, or awkward they thought the recipient was going to feel upon receiving their note.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n The results of the study showed that those who\nwrote the notes underestimated how happy their note would make the recipient\nfeel and they underestimated how much the recipient would appreciate receiving\nit. It also showed that those who wrote\nthe notes had overestimated concerns that the recipient would feel awkward\nabout receiving the note. The study also\nshowed that the gesture of expressing gratitude in a handwritten note ended up\nboosting the emotional well-being and happiness level of BOTH the person who\nwrote the note and the person who received the note. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While locked down in your homes I highly recommend getting out your own special box of handwritten notes people have given you out and read through a few. It will remind you how of just how good they make you feel. Then grab a pen and send a few notes out yourself so you can make someone else feel great as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n