Another step towards happiness: thank people
I have written about many factors that have been found to contribute to happiness. See for example What do you do when you have a catastrophe?
Another way to happiness that I have recently read about is giving thanks. For Christians this usually means thanking God. Not a bad idea. But I am talking about thanking people.
Isn’t it just good manners?
I am not talking about saying ‘thankyou’ every day, whenever someone does something helpful. Of course, I hope you do. What I am talking about is making an effort to thank people who have helped you in the past.
- A teacher
- a coach
- a mentor
- Someone who gave you confidence
- Someone who gave you useful advice
Do you remember them? Are you in touch? Could you write to them, letting them know how helpful they have been? It may be worth a little effort.
Do I thank people in this way?
This is something I have never thought about until recently. I have read that remembering to thank people in this way can add to your happiness as well as theirs. How does that work? I don’t know but I think I might try it. What have I got to lose? What about you?