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Simply saying "thank you" may benefit both the recipient and the person who
express gratitude, according to the results of studies conducted by researchers
at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
The studies, published in the latest issue of Psychological Science, found
that saying "thank you" strengthens relationships by causing the person
expressing thanks to feel more responsible for the recipient's welfare.
To understand how expressing gratitude helps strengthen relationships, the
researchers conducted three different studies.
In one study, 137 college students completed a survey regarding how often
they expressed gratitude to a friend or partner. Results showed that gratitude
was positively linked with the person's perception of the "communal"
strength.
In another study involving 218 college students, expressing gratitude found
the expresser's perception of the relationship's strength over time was
boosted.
In the third study, 75 men and women were randomly assigned to one of four
groups. Over a three-week period, one group expressed gratitude to a friend;
another thought grateful thoughts about a friend, while a third thought about
daily activities and a fourth had positive interactions with a friend.
Those who expressed gratitude reported stronger relationships at the end of
study than those in the other groups.
Gratitude, when expressed, boosted communal strength, according to the
study's lead author, Nathaniel Lambert, a research associate at the
University.
He said the findings make sense because "when you express gratitude to
someone, you are focusing on the good things that person has done for you," he
said. "It makes you see them in a more positive light and helps you to focus on
their good traits."
Lambert said his research team tested the idea that: "The person doing the
thanking comes to perceive the relationship as more communal, to see the person
as more worthwhile to make a sacrifice for, to go the extra mile to help
out".
Although the studies only looked at the people expressing gratitude,
Lambert speculated that, "those who are being thanked will often feel an urge to
reciprocate. They will want to express their gratitude back. It can become kind
of an upward spiral."
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