We are polite people, at least most of us think so. The words «thank you», «please» for us – an indisputable must have. On January 11, the International Day of Thanksgiving, we have prepared some interesting facts about gratitude. And of course the Zhytomyr.Travel team thanks everyone who is with us
The Thanksgiving celebration was initiated by the United Nations and UNESCO to remind people of the importance of politeness, good manners and kind behavior. Back in 1586, the word «thank you» was recorded in Paris – it was first introduced into the colloquial dictionary. In the Ukrainian language, the word «thank you» means a feeling of gratitude for the good done, attention, as well as the very expression of such a feeling. Words similar to Ukrainian «thank you» are found in almost all Indo-European languages: in Belarusian there is the word «thank you», in Czech – «děkuji», in Polish – «dziękuję», in Slovak – «ďakujem», in German – «danke», in Dutch – «dank», English – «thank», Scandinavian «tak», «takk». After the introduction of Christianity in Russia began to use the word «thank you», which was formed from the phrase «save God».
The most polite city in the world is New York, the least polite – Mumbai. If we consider that there is a «politeness scale» between these cities, we would like to be somewhere closer to New York. And if the geographical distance is a constant, then we are definitely able to get closer to New York by becoming more polite.
Psychologists say that ordinary gratitude has magic, because the word «thank you» gives a good mood to everyone: both to those who express gratitude, and to whom it is intended. Scientists say that expressing gratitude by looking a person straight in the eye is an easy way to convey the sincerity of your words, share a good mood, and make a person feel good. The American Psychological Association has published a statement in the magazine «Emotion» that words of gratitude help to find new friends: thanks to a stranger, you subconsciously become much closer to him. Who knows, maybe in the future you will be friends with this person.
One of the incredible facts is that gratitude affects the health and emotional state of the person for whom it sounds. Thanks to you, you influence the well-being of another person, who becomes more attentive to their own life needs. Researcher Robert Emmons has proven the relationship between gratitude and the emotional state of a person, although without scientifically sound reasoning, relying on our own feelings, after words of gratitude we realize the importance of our actions, smile more often and feel less upset.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky have traced the important relationship between gratitude and kindness. 900 people were selected for the experiment, dividing them into two groups: one group – grateful students, and the other – critical. Students from both groups had to grade each other. After summing up, it became clear that people from the «grateful group» rated opponents more positively and their ratings were higher. Scientists say that gratitude increases empathy and reduces aggression, and today it is more important than ever.
The conclusion from this is very simple: do not forget to thank. Mom – for a delicious breakfast, brother – for a phone call, friends – for support, and even just, for no particular reason, express gratitude for any little things. Probably this is how you and I reveal the secret of happiness, and it is extremely simple – these are words of gratitude, spoken from the heart, words that support and inspire…
