Saying ‘Thank You’ - Nana Serwaah Bossman

“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” - William Shakespeare

Once upon a time, as children in preschool and at home, we were taught some magic words to use in various instances of our journeys and one of those were the words, 'thank you'. For some reason, that stood out for me a lot.... medaase, akpe, oyiwala d)n, naagode etc. Life has taught me not to just use them, but to mean them as well.

Thank you is defined as an expression of gratitude used to show appreciation for something. When someone does you a favour and you want to express your gratitude for what they have done, this is an example of a time when you would say thank you.

As human beings, we strive to be good to each other by default. All our laws, governing policies, religious beliefs as a people, motivate and inspire us to be humane and helpful to each other. Such behaviours are usually rewarded. For example, your employee is paid at the end of the month and even have some other pecks to make his life comfortable. Why do you have to say thank you afterwards? This is a question i have been asking myself for so long.

Thank you has Biological Benefits!!!
Thankfulness is linked to positive changes in the brain and body. If thankfulness were a drug, it would be the world's best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system," said Dr P. Murali Doraiswamy, Head of the division of biological psychology at Duke University Medical Center. While the act of being thankful is not a substitute for a proper medical diagnosis and treatment, Dr Doraiswamy said it's certainly a strategy that can be used to enhance wellness.

Studies have shown measurable effects on multiple body and brain systems, said Doraiswamy. Those include mood neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine), reproductive hormones (testosterone), social bonding hormones (oxytocin), cognitive and pleasure related neurotransmitters (dopamine), inflammatory and immune systems (cytokines), stress hormones (cortisol), cardiac and EEG rhythms, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Being thankful and showing gratitude helps us counteract the negativity bias by focusing our attention on the 'good stuff’. Indeed, a little focus can go a long way to improving one's psychological, social, and physical health.

Thank you has Psychological Benefits!!!

If it's tough to get out of a negative-thinking rut, Psychologists suggest keeping a journal of things, big or small, for which you are grateful. Write letters of gratitude and meditate on positive emotions.

At a Women in Leadership training program, we were each gifted with some very beautiful and personalized cover books with the bold description Gratitude Journal. This was supposed to create a habit of saying thank you by mastering the Three Blessings Exercise (positive psychology).

Whiles you think through the happenings of the day before retiring to bed, you are encouraged to focus on the 3 things you ought to be grateful for and write them down in the journal. Then, if it has other parties involved, ie your family, work colleagues, bosses etc, you spend a few minutes to drop them a Thank you note before you sleep. It creates a healthier body and builds your mental health as well.

For the recipient of the Thank you words, they also become happier and willing to do more of what caused the thankfulness in the other person. Sometimes, when I can counsel others, I am deliberate in helping them out of one of the situations causing them grief. About 95% of the time, the people are happy with me and once they feel grateful, their healing process begins.

Thank you has Social Benefits!!!

Other studies have looked at how being grateful can improve relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship. The same applies in the parent- child relationship.

In the working environment, Managers who remember to say "thank you" to people who work for them may find that those employees feel motivated to work harder. It builds a formidable team filled with hopeful and hardworking people who align to the Company's vision quickly. They in turn transfer that positive feeling to the clients they work for, and this improves various Client Experience metrics like the Net Promoter Score and Customer Satisfaction score.

It has been proven also that in most Behavioural Economics project collaterals, signing off a nudging message with ‘Thank you or Thanks in advance” yielded more responses via the call-to-action channel than using “Regards, Best Regards, sincerely etc. It’s amazing how we also after every social gathering have the ‘Vote of thanks’ as part of the programme line up. It is very possible we are winning as a people in this regard.

Religious and Spiritual benefits

Are you a Christian? “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”1 Thessalonians 5:16

Are you a Muslim? “Be thankful to God: whoever gives thanks benefits his own soul, and as for those who are thankless-God is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise.” (Quran 31:12)

Many other religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Traditional worshippers all believe strongly that saying thank you is a habit worth developing and mastering. From a deep place of thankfulness, we can gradually cure impatience, greed, jealousy and ingratitude in our lives individually and as a group. Whilst we are at it, our younger ones will look up to us and emulate this very important habit.

Thank you for taking time off to read these few thoughts of mine. Saying thank you does not take away from us. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Counting on all of us to meaningfully say always, THANK YOU’.

Thank You!!