Letter of thanks explained

A letter of thanks or thank-you letter is a letter that is used when one person/party wishes to express appreciation to another. Personal thank-you letters are sometimes hand-written in cases in which the addressee is a friend, acquaintance or relative. Thank-you letters are also sometimes referred to as letters of gratitude. These types of thank-you letters are usually written as formal business letters.

Some psychological research indicates that expressing gratitude by writing such letters can have emotional benefits,^[1] but this does not apply to all circumstances.^[2] News media have covered the tradition of handwritten letters of thanks from a cultural perspective, suggesting in particular that the extra effort represented by handwriting (as opposed to text messaging, for example) makes these letters more emotionally significant for sender and recipient alike.^[3]

Good thank you letters can benefit from using a recognized format.^{[4] [5]}

Further reading

• Clark, Hewitt B. . Northrop, James T. . Barkshire, Charles T. . The Effects of Contingent Thank-You Notes on Case Managers' Visiting Residential Clients . Education and Treatment of Children . 11 . 1 . 45–51 . 42899049 . 1988 .
• Book: 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life . John . Kralik . . January 27, 2011.

Notes and References

1. Toepfer. Steven M.. Cichy. Kelly. Peters. Patti. 2011-04-07. Letters of Gratitude: Further Evidence for Author Benefits. Journal of Happiness Studies. en. 13. 1. 187–201. 10.1007/s10902-011-9257-7. 254696043 . 1389-4978.
2. Sansone. Randy A.. Sansone. Lori A.. November 2010. Gratitude and Well Being. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 7. 11. 18–22. 1550-5952. 3010965. 21191529.
3. News: Perfect Thank You Notes: Heartfelt And Handwritten. 2010-12-22. NPR. 2018-09-12. en.
4. Web site: How to write a thank-you note How to write a thank-you note . Jeanne . Field . September 8, 2016 . . October 12, 2018.
5. News: thank you cards. https://web.archive.org/web/20191023231838/https://funeralprintings.com/thank-you-cards/. dead. 2019-10-23. 2020.