When was the last time you received a card or note with a considerate handwritten message? Think about how it made you feel. I’d venture to say, you probably read it more than once, maybe even reading it aloud or showing it off to someone.

A study at the University of Zurich’s Computational Emotion Neuroscience Lab scanned the brains of participants with MRI machines and determined that when we receive a compliment, praise or encouragement we get a “mini-high.” It is believed that dopamine, the neurotransmitter linked to pleasure, increases in the process.

A similar study revealed that handwritten letters had a 99% higher open rate compared to emails. The study also found that individuals felt more engaged with letters felt they appeared more honest compared to online conversation.

The keyword: handwritten. To the recipient, this represents a sense of investment and value.

The experience leaves us wanting and appreciating more as a result.

But, there’s another major benefit of recieving these small treasures. It is the inspiration to pen a card, ourselves, much like the feelings we get when we receive or witness random acts of kindness.

The German poet Goethe, observed, “Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind.”

These heartfelt messages are even more meaningful when they are written by those we love.

On a personal note, I have letters, written by my two sons that I consider to be greater than any award I could ever receive and I’ve kept every card my loving and most passionate wife, Linda, has given me over the past 37 years. That’s a lot of passion!

I used to think perfect penmanship mattered. It really doesn’t. As long as your words, no matter how poorly written, can be deciphered, it’s your emotional sentiment that counts.

Thoughts committed to paper become mental recordings that can echo for a lifetime.

Simply put, your pen-written words have the power to speak volumes about your thoughtfulness, gratitude and love.

And, lest you point to your schedule as an excuse, remember Mark Twain’s inimitable words, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”