Simply saying "thank you" may benefit both the recipient and the person who express gratitude, according to the results of studies conducted by researchers at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

The studies, published in the latest issue of Psychological Science, found that saying "thank you" strengthens relationships by causing the person expressing thanks to feel more responsible for the recipient's welfare.

To understand how expressing gratitude helps strengthen relationships, the researchers conducted three different studies.

In one study, 137 college students completed a survey regarding how often they expressed gratitude to a friend or partner. Results showed that gratitude was positively linked with the person's perception of the "communal" strength.

In another study involving 218 college students, expressing gratitude found the expresser's perception of the relationship's strength over time was boosted.

In the third study, 75 men and women were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Over a three-week period, one group expressed gratitude to a friend; another thought grateful thoughts about a friend, while a third thought about daily activities and a fourth had positive interactions with a friend.

Those who expressed gratitude reported stronger relationships at the end of study than those in the other groups.

Gratitude, when expressed, boosted communal strength, according to the study's lead author, Nathaniel Lambert, a research associate at the University.

He said the findings make sense because "when you express gratitude to someone, you are focusing on the good things that person has done for you," he said. "It makes you see them in a more positive light and helps you to focus on their good traits."

Lambert said his research team tested the idea that: "The person doing the thanking comes to perceive the relationship as more communal, to see the person as more worthwhile to make a sacrifice for, to go the extra mile to help out".

Although the studies only looked at the people expressing gratitude, Lambert speculated that, "those who are being thanked will often feel an urge to reciprocate. They will want to express their gratitude back. It can become kind of an upward spiral."

美国塔拉哈西佛罗里达州立大学的研究人员开展的一系列研究表明，简单的一声“谢谢”对致谢人和被感谢的人都有好处。

这些在最新一期《心理科学》上发表的研究发现，说“谢谢”能让表达感谢的人觉得自己考虑到了对方的感受，进而能够增进人际关系。

为了弄清表达感谢究竟是如何促进人际关系的问题，研究人员开展了三项不同的研究。

在一项研究中，研究人员对137名大学生开展了一项关于他们对朋友或情侣表达感谢的频率的调查。结果显示，说“谢谢”能让致谢人更进一步地看待相互间的关系。

在另一项对218名大学生开展的研究中，表达感谢让致谢人感到双方的关系更“铁”了。

在第三项研究中，研究人员将75名男性和女性随机分为四个小组。在三个星期的时间内，一个小组向朋友表达感谢，另一个小组对朋友心怀感激，第三个小组只考虑日常活动，第四个小组与朋友进行积极互动。[page]分页标题[/page]

在研究结束时，说“谢谢”小组相比于其它小组而言，成员之间的关系更为牢固。

研究报告主要撰写人、佛罗里达州立大学的研究员纳撒尼尔•兰伯特说，表达感激能增进人与人之间的关系。

他说，这些发现很有道理，因为“当你表达对某人的感激之情时，你会注重这个人为你所做的好事。这让你从一个更为积极的角度来看待他们，让你更多关注他们的好品质。”

兰伯特说，他的研究小组证明了这一观点：“表达感谢的人会更一步看待两人间的关系，认为值得为对方做出牺牲，值得对其鼎力相助。”

尽管这些研究只分析了那些表达感激的人，但兰伯特分析称，“那些受到感谢的人通常会产生回报的想法。他们也会想向对方表达感激，从而形成一种良性循环。”

LIUXUEPAPER's Vocabulary:

go the extra mile: 多付出代价；多努力一点

reciprocate: to behave or feel towards somebody in the same way as they behave or feel towards you 回报；回应

编辑:Liuxuepaper.Com