The Power of Gratitude
Posted on: Thursday, August 16, 2018 Category: Blog (58)< 1 min read
By Rhys Blyth
When was the last time someone expressed their gratitude towards you in the form of a thank you message? Felt good, didn’t it? Now, when was the last time you sent someone a thank you?…
According to researchers in psychology, “expressing gratitude improves well-being for both expressers and recipients.” However, there is a common failure of perspective regarding the understanding of the positive impact gratitude has on others. We underestimate the value of gratitude or ‘prosocial actions’, due to our level of willingness to express gratitude and our fear of awkwardness.
According to Kumar and Epley (2018), when a gratitude letter is received, recipients express positive feelings and surprise, while senders felt significantly better than they normally do after writing a letter. Senders were also perceived as competent and warm by receivers, contradicting the belief that senders overestimate the awkwardness they believe recipients would feel.
So, what does this do for your brand? Apart from the feel-good hit, expressing gratitude is a way to improve our social relations and connections. And, as the old adage goes, it’s not what you know, but who you know. Being known as gratuitous will help you formulate stronger relationships and positive perceptions. Play on your brand’s emotional function; make others feel good about your brand through gratitude.
