National Send a Card to a Friend Day is February 7. It’s just another attempt by Hallmark, American Beauty and other greeting card manufacturers to make some money, right? Well, yes. Nevertheless, sending a card to a loved one benefits the sender and the recipient. _________________________________ Try sending a care package, a gift that also benefits the sender and recipient! _________________________________
How does receiving a greeting card help a loved one?
Receiving a card or, indeed, any handwritten, personalized communication tells you someone cares. The action of identifying a greeting card among your mail itself initiates a host of chemical reactions that reduce stress and improve mood. Neuroscientist Dr. Lynda Shaw says that receiving a greeting card enhances self-esteem, reduces feelings of isolation or loneliness, and may actually stave off depression. By reducing stress and improving mood, a simple greeting card may also benefit your physical health. Researchers have tied those specific mental benefits to a lower likelihood of heart problems and decreased blood pressure. The efficacy of receiving a card is evident, because many people save their greeting cards to pull them out later in order to experience again those same feelings. The practice is so prevalent that almost every article about clutter and downsizing advises people about them.
How does sending a greeting card benefit you?
The actions involved in sending a greeting card display your love and caring. First, you spend precious time selecting the “perfect” card. Then, you add a handwritten greeting. A greeting card is just as much a gift as any. However, certain aspects of sending a greeting card provide more benefits than the sending of some gifts. Handwriting improves fine motor skills and activates regions in the brain related to thinking, language and working memory, notes Shaw. Sending a card generates many of the same emotions as receiving one and results in even greater benefits. Scientific research supports the conclusion that sending a card:
- increases happiness
- promotes social connection
- reduces stress
- improves longevity
- motivates others
Maybe the greeting card manufacturers were actually doing us a favor when they promoted National Send a Card to a Friend Day.