No Really, Sending Thank-You Notes Makes You Live Longer
Hello & happy third Monday of the month!
As you may recall, the third Monday of every month on the A Word From My Childhood Bedroom newsletter schedule is Petty Paper. Petty Paper will cover all things paper etiquette.
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Before I get into my usual paper pontification, I want to again thank Anne for being last week’s inaugural Paper Person guest. Contrary to popular opinion, I do not just excessively and exclusively speak of paper with my friends, so I too learned quite a bit about Anne during our conversation. And let me tell you, the people LOVED her. All-day I was getting emails and DMs (humble brag, am I right?) about how much they enjoyed learning about the role that paper has played in Anne’s life and family. I was positively thrilled that many seemed to enjoy the conversation just as much as I had.
This week we will be chatting thank-you notes, which is a rather broad topic. And I know that Petty Paper is supposed to be etiquette-related, but here’s the thing — if you’re here, you’re either a Festa Paper customer or someone who subscribed to read a weekly newsletter about paper. You are already the converted - the practicing thank-you note senders. You are elegant. You have good manners. And just like all of your family members over the age of 50, I am so proud of you. So instead, to kick off what will hopefully be a very peaceful and positive week, we are chatting about three major health benefits of practicing gratitude. Grateful people send thank-you notes, you heard it here first.
From my desk, to yours.
xo,
FP
GRATITUDE MAKES YOU SVELTE
Okay, not entirely but it is reported that grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and exercise more regularly, according to a 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences. If one is grateful for their life, typically they want to nourish and take care of themselves. Additionally, feeling a sense of gratitude, in my experience, can also lend to feelings of happiness. So, gratitude leads to a desire to exercise, which makes you happy, henceforth: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t!”
GRATITUDE GIVES YOU GRIT
Research has long shown that gratitude is a key factor in reducing stress surrounding trauma. A study that I found very intriguing was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2003, and it examined those who were at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Overwhelmingly, participants said that feelings of being grateful for both their lives and those who bravely acted to save fellow citizens that day allowed them to move forward with their lives. Being grateful, even after something horrific, builds resilience.
GRATITUDE IS GOOD FOR THE GUT & BRAIN
A 2015 study from the University of San Diego found that patients expressing more gratitude had lower inflammatory biomarkers. Who needs turmeric when you have a pen, paper, and a stamp, am I right? Moreover, in my one day of Google research I learned that when we express or receive gratitude, our brains release dopamine. Dopamine - a feel-good neurotransmitter - is produced in two sections of the brain; the ventral tegmental (which has to do with rewards) and the substantia nigra (which has to do with speech & movement). So, when a person either receives or expresses gratitude, dopamine releases, and a connection is made between the behavior and feeling good. More gratitude = more dopamine. LFG.
NOTABLE GRATEFUL PEOPLE
Ariana Grande — The iconic pop-star went through a very public broken-off engagement following her highly publicized relationship. What did she do? Wrote a banger of a song about being so flipping grateful for her ex because it strengthened her relationship with herself. Grateful people are not only self-aware, but they are also masters at making lemonade.
Dido — In her song “Thank You” she spoke of suffering from a horrible hangover and incurring late fees with her bank, and you know what? She was still saying thank you and having the “best day of her life”. Imagine being so blissfully grateful that you’re accepting of a hangover.
Francesca Pompili — She is very grateful that you read her weekly newsletter and send her encouraging messages. So much so, that she continues to have the confidence to speak in the third person, weekly.