‘Thank you text' trend is warm, fuzzy — but a little cringe: ‘Earnestness through irony'
Gratitude is going digital — and millennials are leading the emoji-packed charge.
The latest way to say 'I love you, man' isn't with a beer or a bear hug.
It's with a post-hang text — a heartfelt digital love letter sent immediately after brunch, a night out or even just a 15-minute FaceTime.
The gist?
'Wow, I needed that. So grateful for you!!!'
Affectionate and aggressively earnest, these follow-up messages — dubbed 'millennial thank you notes' — are flooding group chats and inboxes with a tidal wave of feelings.
'You know when someone texts you right after you get home from hanging out with them and they say, like, 'I had a great time, so nice to see you'? What a gift from God,' gushed TikTok user @carlabezanson in a viral video that's racked up more than 850,000 likes.
Another mushy user, @tpwkky, chimed in, 'One thing about me is I WILL be sending the 'thank you so much for hanging out with me' text immediately after hanging out. I love telling people in my life they matter to me bc life is short and you should appreciate them while you still can (:'
Cringe? Maybe. Cute? Absolutely.
And according to a 2023 OnePoll study for Josh Cellars, Americans are on the same sappy wavelength: The average person says 'thank you' six times a day — totaling over 2,200 expressions of gratitude per year.
A whopping 83% say they try to practice gratitude daily. Millennials are just choosing to do it with a digital diary entry sent at 9:47 p.m.
Even Gen Z is catching feels — sort of.
'Me fighting the urge to text my friends, 'thank you for hanging with me today, it was so much fun :D You're literally the reason I'm gonna see the sunrise tomorrow' every time we finish hanging out,' joked user @thatssorav3n_ in a TikTok dripping with sarcasm (and over 573,000 likes).
The generational split is clear: Millennials wear their hearts on their texts. Gen Z prefers theirs with a thick layer of irony — and a wink.
'I feel like it's a very Gen Z thing, earnestness through irony,' 27-year-old Andrew Pattenaude recently told Bustle. 'It's like a layer of protection to say something that you genuinely feel.'
Still, licensed mental health counselor Kathryn Lee says millennials might be onto something.
'Millennials would probably prefer more of that face-to-face connection, because that is what they grew up with,' she told the outlet. When they finally get it, 'they're sure to say 'thank you.' '
In fact, gratitude isn't just a warm, fuzzy feeling — it's a full-blown movement.
The Post previously reported on the aforementioned OnePoll study, and how 57% of Americans are saying 'thank you' more often than in years past.
A surprising 40% even keep a written gratitude list, while others gush about everything from their families and friends to their bosses and baristas.
TikTok user @paige_netting summed it up best: 'Trying not to send a 'thank you for hanging out with me, I really appreciate being together' after every casual hangout with friends.'
Sure, some people feel closest to their loved ones during the holidays — when 76% in the study said they're more connected.
But for millennials, the new season of thanks is year-round and always starts with: 'Hey, that was a lot of fun.'
And sometimes, that's more than enough.
As @thatssorav3n_ put it: 'You're literally the reason I'm gonna see the sunrise tomorrow.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Hegseth stripping Harvey Milk's name off Navy ship is weak and insecure
Hegseth stripping Harvey Milk's name off Navy ship is weak and insecure | Opinion Nothing says indomitable warrior quite like, 'I'm afraid of this boat's name.' Show Caption Hide Caption Navy to change name of USNS Harvey Milk oil tanker The U.S. Navy will be renaming the USNS Harvey Milk oil tanker, named after Navy veteran and first openly gay elected California official. In a display of infantile weakness, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Navy to remove iconic gay rights activist and Korean War veteran Harvey Milk's name from a naval ship. A defense official told the ship renaming was intentionally announced during Pride Month, presumably because faux tough guys like Hegseth and others in the Trump administration mistakenly equate toughness with being a complete (expletive). In a statement, a Pentagon spokesman said: 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the commander in chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos.' Hegseth's plan to scrub Harvey Milk's name from a ship is peak insecurity The 'warrior ethos,' Secretary Hegseth? Are you an insecure 12-year-old boy? Nothing says indomitable warrior quite like, 'I'm afraid of this boat's name.' Opinion: Musk calls Trump's bill an 'abomination.' I hate it when our two weird dads fight. A true warrior would be familiar with American history and would know that Milk served as a U.S. Navy operations officer on rescue submarines during the Korean War, then went on to become the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. He was serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when he and the city's mayor were assassinated in 1978. Milk served in the Korean War and earned his place in history A true warrior would recognize that U.S. soldiers throughout history have proudly served, fought, and died for the rights of all Americans to speak and live freely. A true warrior would be appalled to read the statement Milk's nephew Stuart Milk, who chairs the Harvey Milk Foundation, had to release in response to Hegseth's pathetic renaming plan, saying of the slain activist: 'His legacy has stood as a proud and bright light for the men and women who serve in our nation's military – including those who have served on the USNS Harvey Milk – and a reminder that no barriers of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or physical infirmity will restrain their human spirit.' Hegseth apparently sees naval ship names as 'woke' The New York Times reported that there are other ships named after civil rights leaders that might be renamed under Hegseth's feeble leadership. The names include Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman and Cesar Chavez. Make no mistake that behind these decisions is an administration limply fighting back against any incursion on the power of straight, white men, wholly unaware that people with real power don't need to exert their will on others. Announcing that you're stripping the name of a gay rights activist from a Navy ship at the start of Pride Month is, of course, a transparent provocation. To insecure, whiny, entitled men who spend their days listening to other insecure, whiny, entitled men, it's a show of strength. It's something they can smirk about as they exchange awkward high-fives. Opinion: Joe Biden's decency will always outshine Donald Trump's cruelty Hegseth and others in the Trump administration don't know true strength But that's not strength. It's not a 'warrior ethos.' Heck, it's not even an ethos. It's just a bunch of unconfident losers trying to push others down to make themselves feel tall. If Harvey Milk's name is scrubbed from a Navy ship, it won't alter his legacy. His name, decades upon decades from now, will still echo in the pages of history. the hearts of students of civil rights and the mind of any soldier with a true warrior ethos. Pete Hegseth's name, on the other hand, will prompt only one response: 'Who's that? Never heard of him.' Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Husband Couldn't Taste Their 'Gender Reveal' Milkshake. But His Wife's Reaction Said It All (Exclusive)
Sarah Smith and her husband Eli found out they were expecting their first child on Jan. 7 As the weeks passed, preparations for the sex reveal began Sarah, 28, started searching online for low-key reveal ideas. One in particular caught her eye: using milkshakesWhen Sarah Smith and her husband Eli found out they were expecting their first child on Jan. 7, the upstate New York-based couple — along with their families — were over the moon. As the weeks passed, preparations for the sex reveal began. Sarah, 28, started searching online for low-key reveal ideas. One in particular caught her eye: using milkshakes. The moment she saw it, she recalls thinking, 'This is it.' 'We've always tried to keep big moments between just the two of us, at least at first,' Sarah tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'It just felt more playful and different.' The reveal happened during a ski trip with friends in Bozeman, Mont. — a place that already holds deep meaning for the couple. It's where they honeymooned, and where they were legally married by proxy while Eli, 30, was stationed overseas. For the reveal, they went to a local spot in Bozeman called Burger Bob's. Once there, they explained the situation to their waitress, Brittney. The instructions were simple: strawberry for a girl, peanut butter for a boy. One shake, two straws, lots of whipped cream. Sarah handed Brittney a sealed envelope with the results from their blood test. 'She was totally into it and really made it special,' Sarah says. Not long after, Brittney returned with the milkshake. After one sip, Sarah tasted strawberry and recalls feeling overwhelmed, in the best way. But for Eli, the moment played out a little differently. 'I tend to hold stuff in when I'm processing big emotions, and in that moment, I had like a million things going on in my head, my straw wasn't working, I was trying to read her reaction, I wasn't even sure if I'd tasted anything yet,' he tells PEOPLE. 'But what really stopped me was her face. I've seen her happy plenty of times, but this was different. It was raw joy,' he adds. 'And knowing she's had some nerves about pregnancy and everything that comes with it … to see all that melt away and just be replaced by that much happiness, it was so sweet to see. I'll never forget it.' Sarah filmed the moment mostly to capture the memory for the pair and to share with family. She hadn't planned to post it publicly, but after sending it around to a few people, she uploaded it to TikTok, where she usually saves sweet memories. Then the video went viral, amassing more than 8.1 million views and 2,400 comments. 'It was wild,' Sarah says. 'I posted it and then just … walked away from my phone. When I came back, it had all these views and comments, and it just kept going. We hadn't even told all our friends we were expecting yet, so suddenly we were like, 'Okay, time to make some calls before people find out from TikTok.' Friends, coworkers, even people we hadn't talked to in years were texting like, 'Wait, is this you?!' ' 'Honestly, it's been really positive,' she adds. 'People seem to love the idea. A few comments were funny or even a little snarky, but nothing that bothered us. We just laugh about it. Some people are convinced Eli looks disappointed, which … he wasn't. But it's kind of hilarious to see the interpretations.' Now 25 weeks along, Sarah says that while the first trimester was tough, she's been enjoying the rest of the pregnancy. She's staying active, and everything just feels more meaningful. 'Every kick, every ultrasound, it gets me emotional every time," Sarah says. "I love setting up her room, shopping for baby clothes, all of it.' 'No way I could've waited until the birth — I really wanted to know," she adds of the baby's sex. "I was hoping for a girl, so finding out early felt important to me.' The couple already has a name picked out but plans to keep it private for now. But when it came to sharing the sex with the world, Sarah says she's glad they did. 'In a world where everything feels like it has to be shared or staged for an audience, this was a reminder that intimacy and authenticity still matter," the mom-to-be says. "It doesn't have to be perfect or go viral to be special. What made that milkshake moment unforgettable wasn't the setup, it was the emotion behind it." "The joy, the nervousness, the genuine surprise. We weren't acting for anyone," she adds. "We were just fully present with each other, and I think people could feel that." Read the original article on People
Newsweek
30 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Gen Z's Trauma Therapy Compared to Millennials, Boomers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Gen Z may have a reputation for being the weakest generation, but their trauma therapy habits indicate they are not too different from their millennial and Gen-X elders. Baby Boomers, however, show a reluctance to seek help for traumatic experiences. In a new report from Rula Health, Americans' therapy habits were analyzed by generation. Baby Boomers' reluctance for trauma therapy may be defined by their upbringing. "Their reluctance to seek trauma therapy reflects a generation that was told to suck it up, repress everything, and call it strength," Driscoll told Newsweek. Why It Matters Gen Z, which includes those aged roughly from 12 to 28, has been reported as more likely to deal with mental health issues, with some employers and elders seeing them as a "softer" generation. A survey by Talker Research for Traditional Medicinals found that 19 percent of respondents under 18 had taken a mental health day in the past few weeks alone. Meanwhile, 65 percent of Baby Boomers said they had never called in sick due to stress. Additionally, a 2023 Gallup survey found that just 15 percent of Gen Zers reported their mental health as excellent, a substantial drop from the decade before when 52 percent of millennials in the same age range reported their mental health as excellent. Elyssa Thelin, a substance use disorder counselor and art therapist at the Cielo Treatment Center, talks about how people use art as therapy for their feelings and trauma at the Cielo Treatment Center for drug... Elyssa Thelin, a substance use disorder counselor and art therapist at the Cielo Treatment Center, talks about how people use art as therapy for their feelings and trauma at the Cielo Treatment Center for drug addiction rehabilitation and mental health in Portland, Oregon on January 24, 2024. More PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images What To Know When it comes to the generations and trauma therapy, there are fewer differences than one might expect. The new Rula Health report found those aged 18 to 24 (considered older Gen-Zers) sought therapy due to trauma 31.6 percent of the time, with those aged 25 and 34 (oldest of Gen-Z and the younger half of millennials) also seeking help for trauma at 30.8 percent. Even in the older age group of 45 to 54 (Gen-X), 30.1 percent reported they were going to therapy for trauma. The number only significantly dipped off at age 55 to 64 (the oldest of Gen-X and younger Boomers), when only 16.9 percent were in therapy for trauma, and even less, 10.3 percent of those aged 65 and older (Baby Boomers) said they went to therapy due to trauma. This reflects that Baby Boomers are the real outlier when it comes to their views on trauma and therapy, said Bryan Driscoll, an HR consultant who specializes in generational differences. "Their reluctance to seek trauma therapy reflects a generation that was told to suck it up, repress everything, and call it strength," Driscoll told Newsweek. "But unaddressed trauma doesn't go away - it just turns into bad parenting, addiction, rage, and broken families. Boomers don't dodge therapy because they're tougher than younger generations. They dodge therapy because they've been shamed out of it." Relationship therapist Joy Berkheimer, who is also the founder of Joy Collective, echoed this sentiment. "The reluctance among many Boomers to seek therapy reflects deeper cultural, societal, and historical contexts," Berkheimer told Newsweek. "They were raised in a time where mental health stigma was stronger, and seeking help could be seen as a sign of failure or weakness." Across the board, 54 percent of those in therapy were seeking it for help with anxiety, with 52.9 percent going due to depression. A similar rate to those in therapy for trauma (26.8 percent) were seeing a professional for stress or burnout at 33.1 percent. Those aged 45 to 54 reported the highest rates of anxiety and burnout, while those aged 55 to 64 showed the highest rates of depression. What People Are Saying Bryan Driscoll, an HR consultant who specializes in generational differences, told Newsweek: "This data doesn't show Gen Z and other younger generations are weak. It shows they're more self-aware and more willing to confront pain head-on, rather than bury it under a 'just deal with it' mentality. What people too often label as weakness is actually emotional literacy. Older generations were raised to believe therapy was for people who were broken. Gen Z knows it's for people who want to break cycles." Monica Cwynar, a licensed counselor and social worker with Thriveworks, told Newsweek: "Baby boomers (ages 55–64) and older generations show much lower rates of therapy-seeking behavior, particularly at only 16.9 percent. Their lower rate of engagement can reflect a cultural background shaped by different societal norms around mental health, where there has traditionally been a stigma associated with seeking help. Boomers are more likely to emphasize resilience, self-reliance, and the belief that personal struggles should be handled privately, that seeking help is a weakness, resulting in a hesitance to seek external support like therapy." Relationship therapist Joy Berkheimer, also the founder of Joy Collective, told Newsweek: "The data clearly does not support the narrative that Gen Z is 'weaker.' Instead, it shows that all generations are increasingly recognizing the importance of mental health, though their methods and comfort levels differ. What we're witnessing is a shift in cultural norms: more openness, less stigma, and greater access." What Happens Next Berkheimer said on a larger level, Gen Z is breaking down the stigmas around mental health and trauma, which could impact how people engage with therapy moving forward. "This generation is more likely to openly seek therapy, prioritize emotional well-being, and engage in practices that emphasize healing and self-awareness... In contrast, older generations may have been conditioned to view therapy as a last resort or a sign of weakness, often due to cultural and societal taboos rooted in stigma and distrust."
