Poster Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Thank You Therapy And The Three Stage Thank You Trial (#818)

Junko Watanabe 1 , Daiyu Yaguchi 2 , Takiko Kimura 3
  1. Showa University, Setagaya, TOKYO, Japan
  2. Department of Psychology, Wayo Women's University, Ichikawa, CHIBA, Japan
  3. Saitama branch, Competence Psychology center, Japan, Hannou, SAITAMA, Japan

[Background] We inquired, "How many times a day did you say Thank you? " from 606 Japanese people with the following results: 0 (2%). 1-5 times (73%), 6-10 times (19%), and 11 times or more (7%). The most frequent response was three times a day (22%). In daily life "Thank you" is used easily and unconsciousness, and saying "Thank you" is closely related to self-emotions. Therefore, using "Thank you" more consciously was expected to improve the living environment.

[Methods] (1) Introduction of "Thank You" in Psychotherapy (Thank You Therapy): Use of Thank You in notes or Letters. Training in saying "Thank you" during the psychological interview. (2) Trying to say "Thank you" more than 20 times a day in everyday life. (3) The three stage “Thank you” trial (Beginners: Saying “Thank you for doing something. Intermediate level: Saying “Thank you”, even when you don’t like something. Advanced level: Saying “Thank you”, even when you are angry.)

[Results & Conclusions] The act of saying "Thank you" on your own might contribute to the stability of self-emotions and the creation of flexible interpersonal relationships. Particularly, the third stage of saying "Thank you" could be used for stress coping in interpersonal relationships.