Every
Friday, Jimmy Fallon writes thank-you notes to various individuals,
organizations or even theoretical concepts for inspiring some of his comedic
commentary on The
Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The content of most of his thank-you
notes is silly; the melancholic musical accompaniment and facial expressions of
The Roots’ keyboard player, James Poyser,
just makes the act even more hilarious. I believe that the popularity and
original Fallon’s inspiration for this sketch boils down people’s basic human
desire for others to recognized and appreciate their contributions in society.
I
have also noticed something very interesting about saying thank you. More and
more often, it seems that many people acknowledge someone else’s expression of
gratitude with the same expression, as opposed to saying “you’re welcome.” This
trend is particularly obvious at the end of almost every interview on PBS’s News
Hour. Very few guests acknowledge anchor Judy Woodruff’s or Gwen
Ifill’s expression appreciation for their expert contributions with “you’re
welcome.” Instead, they seem to thank the host for thanking them. I can’t help
but wonder, what is that all about? Hypnosis
Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., observed that someone who
learns by inference and metaphor (emotional
suggestibility) usually feels embarrassed when praised or acknowledged in
front of others even if he or she desires that recognition.
My training and
experience as a certified hypnotherapist and observer of human behavior leads
me to infer that most of the program’s guests do possess emotional
suggestibility, based on their professional backgrounds. Historians,
scientists, social scientists and political commentators that regularly appear
on this program are typically members of academia (college or university staff).
When they provide the information or insights these experts provide on the news
program, these experts refer to conclusions or opinions they have already drawn
in the course of their own work (e.g., research data or social interactions or
patterns). When Ms. Woodruff or Ms. Ifill thanks someone for appearing on the
program, perhaps the guest is literally thanking the host for giving him or her
an opportunity to share this
information with a wide, television audience base.
No
matter who you are, no matter what you are doing, saying “thank you” is a very
cool thing to do. It’s also emotionally fulfilling for both parties to
acknowledge someone else’s well-deserved gratitude for your valuable
contribution!
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
