Your thank-you note means more than you think
People writing thank-you notes overestimated how awkward the recipient would feel and underestimated how good it would make them feel.
People who wrote thank-you notes overestimated how awkward the recipient would feel and underestimated how good it would make them feel.
The study
In three experiments, participants wrote letters of gratitude and predicted how surprised, happy, and awkward the recipients would feel. The recipients then reported how they actually felt. Writers expected more awkwardness and less warmth than recipients reported. The more awkward people expected it to be, the less willing they were to express thanks.
Starting small
If a short thank-you message feels awkward to send, that feeling may be misleading. A two-line note to someone who helped you recently is likely to be welcomed more than you expect.