A letter of thanks or thank-you letter is a letter that is used when one person/party wishes to express appreciation to another. Personal thank-you letters are sometimes hand-written in cases in which the addressee is a friend, acquaintance or relative. Thank-you letters are also sometimes referred to as letters of gratitude. These types of thank-you letters are usually written as formal business letters.
Some psychological research indicates that expressing gratitude by writing such letters can have emotional benefits,[1] but this does not apply to all circumstances.[2] News media have covered the tradition of handwritten letters of thanks from a cultural perspective, suggesting in particular that the extra effort represented by handwriting (as opposed to text messaging, for example) makes these letters more emotionally significant for sender and recipient alike.[3][4]
Good thank you letters can benefit from using a recognized format.[5][6]
Clark, Hewitt B.; Northrop, James T.; Barkshire, Charles T. (1988). "The Effects of Contingent Thank-You Notes on Case Managers' Visiting Residential Clients". Education and Treatment of Children. 11 (1): 45–51. JSTOR42899049.
Kralik, John (January 27, 2011). 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life. Penguin, Random House Australia.
