The traditional handwritten "thank you" letter is no longer the most popular way to express gratitude, with digital methods such as instant messages and emails favored instead, according to a recent research.
A survey of 2,000 adults finds just 9 percent send a letter of thanks nowadays—a decline of 11 percent in the past ten years— while messages via WhatsApp, SMS text, email and Facebook, have become some of the most common ways to show appreciation.
Despite this, handwritten notes of gratitude are in fact considered to be among the top most meaningful ways to say thank you—close behind heartfelt phone calls and visiting someone to show appreciation in person. Further highlighting the influence of the personal touch, the M&S Club Rewards research finds hand-delivering flowers or treating someone to a coffee are also among the truest ways to show thanks.
The research also finds 58 percent think it is more essential than ever to say thank you to loved ones, with 28 percent admitting the last couple of years have helped them appreciate the little things. And 29 percent think it's really necessary to show others just how much they mean to them so they realize how loved they are.
However, in our digital age—and with all these new and simple ways to communicate and show our gratitude—saying a quick thank-you via instant message has become the habit for many. But if you really want to share a meaningful thank-you, giving someone your time or adding an element of a personal or more human touch will go a long way and have a much bigger impact.
Paul Stokes, from M&S Club Rewards, says: "Our research shows that while the art of saying thank you may have changed over the years, the significance of showing our appreciation has never been higher."
Over the last few years, we have had to come together and support each other perhaps more than ever, so it's great to see so many of us are taking the time to share a thank-you.
