When faced with a situation where you do not know how to act or respond, it is often better to be formal rather than too informal. This disposition is beneficial for showing gratitude to others. People usually say “thank you” or “thanks” when they receive kindness from someone else, but these two responses have very different connotations.
Is It Better to Say “Thank You” or “Thanks”?
Thank you is a formal and respectful way to express gratitude in most situations. Thanks is an abbreviation that indicates less effort in the statement of appreciation. It is better to say “thank you” than “thanks” because saying “thank you” shows a greater level of acknowledgment for the other person’s effort.
Showing respect and recognition for another person’s effort is essential, as you should want others to feel appreciated for their actions. It is always better to put in more effort than too little. It is better to err on the side of formality than being too informal.
Saying Thanks
Thanks is short for thank you. Saying “thanks” literally means you are reducing the amount of time and effort you are putting into showing appreciation. We can conclude that saying thanks requires less effort and time than saying thank you. What does that say to others? Saying thanks is literally a low effort; one could even say a lazy way of saying thank you.
When you say thanks, you are putting little effort into your expression of gratitude. It seems like you are trying to do the minimum necessary, as if you are saying thanks out of a sense of obligation. It is as if the act is only to make sure the other person doesn’t get annoyed with you, but you do not have the respect or interest to bother saying the words “thank you.”
Saying thanks is merely offering a modicum of appreciation. Why not provide people with maximum appreciation instead? Stop saying “thanks” and start saying “thank you”. Giving people respect and effort will elevate everyone involved.
Saying Thank You
“Thank you” is a formal expression of gratitude that is always appropriate. You can always say “thank you”. It is a much nicer and more respectful way of speaking.
You need to offer people respect in order to receive it. Always lean toward being more formal; you will see that it can help you rise in life.
I have another post on why it is better to speak more formally and how it can positively impact people, including helping you get a job. You can look at Why It Is Important to Speak Formally if interested.
Try Saying Thank You For
If you want to put effort into a statement of gratitude, you can identify the act and use some adjectives. For example, if someone pays for dinner, you can say, “Thanks,” “Thank you,” or “Thank you so much for dinner; I had such a nice time.” Which of these statements is going to make the other person feel appreciated the most? Clearly, the statement with the most effort.
If you want to make someone feel good, you must put in effort. If someone makes an effort to do something for you, you can return some effort to them in how you offer recognition.
How People Perceive Expressions of Gratitude
We recently had a conversation at my office where someone mentioned the word thanks. Everyone chimed in on their opinion, and it was unanimous. We all said the phrase thank you is better and that the word thanks isn’t very nice. One woman said, “I hate it when someone says, “Thanks.” It’s like they can’t be bothered to say, “Thank you.”
Some people think the word thanks is just a casual expression of thank you. I disagree. It is a lower-effort abbreviation of thank you. Saying thanks is like saying, “You don’t deserve my time to say thank you, so I am going to say thanks instead.” Some people say the word thanks is for causal situations and thank you is for professional situations. That differentiation is just silly and does not reflect the reality of the situation to me. The word “thanks” is clearly an indication of minimal effort. How much effort you want to put into showing appreciation to others is up to you, but I say give them the respect of a full “Thank you.”
Personally, I don’t like the word thanks although I am sure it occasionally slips out of my mouth. I try to say “thank you” to show that I take the other person seriously. It is always better to put in more effort than less.
Appreciation is a Gift
Showing appreciation to someone for an act of kindness is a small gift you give them. It makes people feel good to hear expressions of gratitude. You should do your best in all situations to make others feel good by offering them a warm and appropriate “Thank you.”
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it was helpful.
