Business and Money Tips

  This article was first republished by Business Insider in December 2019. Read the  original article  on  Inc . Copyright 2021. We thank people all the time. We thank them in person, on the phone, and in emails.  It's a social custom. Good graces. Parents and school teachers tell their children all the time: "Mind your P's and Q's. Remember to say 'thank you.'" Plus, experts explain that  practicing gratitude  is one of the best ways we become happier human beings. The question is: When you're typing that business  sign-off , is your gratitude just a platitude — or are you being authentic and really expressing thanks? So many people write an email and sign off with something like this: Thank you, [Your name] Avoid platitudes Thank you for what? While research has shown  emails that express gratitude  are answered more often, what about those emails that aren't answered? Is it because your gratitude wasn't genuine? Or maybe it was lost in a cli