{{Short description|Letter sent expressing appreciation}} [[File:Nixon Thank You Letter to Elvis.jpg|thumb|upright|A letter of thanks from Richard Nixon to Elvis Presley]]
A '''letter of thanks, letter of gratitude, thank you card''', or '''thank you letter''' is a letter or greetings card that is used when one person/party wishes to express appreciation to another. They are frequently sent after an event (a birthday party, a religious festival or holiday) and especially when a gift has been received.{{cn|date=May 2025}} Personal thank-you letters and cards are often hand-written and the addressee is typically a friend, acquaintance or relative. Letters of gratitude are usually written as formal business letters, either to a client, a supplier, an employer (or prospective employer after an interview)<ref>{{Cite web |title=What To Include In a Thank You Email After an Interview (With Examples) |url=https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/thank-you-email-after-interview |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Indeed Career Guide |language=en}}</ref> or an employee as part of creating an engaged workforce.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
== Benefits == Some psychological research indicates that expressing gratitude by writing such letters can have emotional benefits,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Toepfer|first1=Steven M.|last2=Cichy|first2=Kelly|last3=Peters|first3=Patti|date=2011-04-07|title=Letters of Gratitude: Further Evidence for Author Benefits|journal=Journal of Happiness Studies|language=en|volume=13|issue=1|pages=187–201|doi=10.1007/s10902-011-9257-7|s2cid=254696043 |issn=1389-4978}}</ref> but this does not apply to all circumstances.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sansone|first1=Randy A.|last2=Sansone|first2=Lori A.|date=November 2010|title=Gratitude and Well Being|journal=Psychiatry (Edgmont)|volume=7|issue=11|pages=18–22|issn=1550-5952|pmc=3010965|pmid=21191529}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{citation|last=Trebay|first=Guy|title=The Found Art of Thank-You Notes|date=4 April 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/fashion/the-found-art-of-thank-you-notes.html|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2010/12/26/132263637/perfect-thank-you-notes-heartfelt-and-handwritten|title=Perfect Thank You Notes: Heartfelt And Handwritten|date=2010-12-22|publisher=NPR|access-date=2018-09-12|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{Cite journal|author1=Clark, Hewitt B. |author2=Northrop, James T. |author3=Barkshire, Charles T. | title=The Effects of Contingent Thank-You Notes on Case Managers' Visiting Residential Clients | journal=Education and Treatment of Children | volume=11 | issue=1 | pages=45–51 | jstor=42899049 | year=1988 }} *{{cite book |title=365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life |first1=John |last1=Kralik |publisher=Penguin, Random House Australia |date=January 27, 2011}}
thanks, Letter of Category:Gratitude