Why You Need to Write More Letters
When was the last time you pulled from your mailbox a letter that got you excited? When was the last time you sat down to write something — by hand — that brought you joy? In the Age of the Internet, most people have abandoned the art of writing and sending letters because there are more convenient ways to keep in touch. However, there are good reasons to eschew text messages and emails at times. Read on for a few thoughts on the benefits of old-fashioned letter-writing.
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It Actually Keeps You in Touch With Loved Ones
Many social media sites were founded with the intention of making it easier to communicate with loved ones near and far — but that doesn’t mean you use them for that. A study from the University of Bath found that though people say they use Facebook to connect with friends and family, in truth they rarely reach out to learn about their loved ones’ lives; instead, they join special interest groups, read the news and silently stalk people in their network. There are similar problems with Twitter and Instagram.
Your good intentions with social media will almost always fall flat, but a commitment to old-fashioned correspondence won’t. In letter form, you can express more detail about your life, and your pen pals can do the same. Thus, you learn more about how your loved ones are actually doing, rather than wasting time scrolling endlessly through your feed.
It’s Good for Business, Too
Personal letters are also powerful tools for business. It is easy to make clients or customers feel special with a handwritten note sent through the mail, which is so distinctly different from the hundreds of tedious emails they receive every day. You can order custom stationery paper with your professional names and contact information, to ensure your business letters look as important as they feel.
It Feels Sophisticated and Refined
Handwritten letters have been a human communication staple nearly since the beginning of civilization but certainly since the invention of the printing press, after which literacy soared. Still, for much of human history, only the wealthy have had the time and money to send letters, which means that maintaining handwritten correspondence continues to feel like a high-class act. Instead of firing off a free and hollow email, you can feel more sophisticated by sitting down to write out your thoughts and feelings.
Even if you aren’t writing letters for a professional reason, you should invest in high-quality stationary that suits your aesthetic. When you have dedicated letter-writing tools, your letters will look as refined as they feel to produce.
It Allows You to Think Before You Communicate
It is easy to shoot out an email in anger or send a drunk text message late at night — and in a few hours, you will likely regret what you said. It is difficult to express your thoughts and feelings about important issues through more modern communication; you might type something and send it without considering the subtext of your words, which might be confusing or hurtful. While using emojis and emoticons can facilitate information by providing much-needed context, a better solution is slowing down and thinking before sending your messages.
Writing letters by hand forces you to carefully consider your message before it goes on the page. Not only do you need to concentrate to ensure that your letter is legible, but you also don’t want to riddle your page with crossed out words or inkstains. If you have something important to tell someone you care about, you should seriously consider writing it out by hand, to ensure the message is just right.
It Separates Some Information From the Web
It should be no surprise that Mark Zuckerberg does not believe in privacy; in fact, many of the web’s most prominent developers want as much information online as possible. That’s why it is nearly impossible for the average web user to keep their data safe and secure — there are too many web services looking for online content and exploiting it for profit. Worse, hackers are always on the lookout for sensitive data they can steal, so if you aren’t confident in your cybersecurity, you might want to avoid putting any valuable information on your connected devices. Sending letters is an effective way to communicate sensitive issues without worrying about cyber espionage.
It Creates a Simple and Beloved Tradition
Finally, you should consider writing more letters for these simple reasons: It’s fun, and it makes people happy. The more often you receive letters from loved ones in your mailbox, the more excited you will be to check the mail, which will boost your mood every day and help other people in your life feel more fortunate, as well. Most people think that letter writing in modern times is a tedious process but in reality, services like LetterStream printing and mailing services have actually made it much more convenient. Writing letters doesn’t take an abundance of time, but it can significantly impact your life and others now and into the future.
