“Expressers significantly underestimated how surprised recipients would be about why expressers were grateful, overestimated how awkward recipients would feel, and underestimated how positive recipients would feel.”
– Undervaluing Gratitude: Expressers Misunderstand the Consequences of Showing Appreciation
The past 30 days have been unusual because of the number of professional gestures of gratitude I’ve received:
- I received a clinical faculty award from psychiatry residents for my teaching efforts.
- An hospital administrator contacted me in my professional capacity; she later revealed that she was a former patient of mine and thanked me for our time together.
- A former patient contacted me to let me know that she is about to start law school, something she did not think she could ever do. She attributed her change in perspective to our time together.
These gestures are deeply meaningful to me. At a time when arguments, conflict, and discord seem to dominate our collective consciousness, how refreshing it feels to receive thanks!
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