If you still handwrite birthday cards when you could just text psychology says you have these 7 qualities most people born after 1990 will never develop - Silicon Canals

"Remember the last birthday card you received? Not the Facebook notification or the text with balloon emojis, but an actual card someone picked out, wrote in by hand, and mailed to you? If you're under 35, that memory might be fuzzy. We live in an age where a quick "HBD!" text counts as thoughtful, and typing out the full "Happy Birthday" feels like going the extra mile. But there's a stubborn minority still buying cards, hunting for stamps, and carefully crafting messages in pen."

"Last week, I spent twenty minutes in the card aisle choosing the perfect one for my cousin, another fifteen writing a message that captured what I wanted to say, and then drove to the post office because I couldn't remember how much postage costs these days. The whole process took nearly an hour for something I could have accomplished with a ten-second text."

"Psychology research suggests this seemingly inefficient choice reveals something deeper about those who make it. The act of handwriting, the deliberate slowness, the physical effort involved all point to qualities that are becoming increasingly rare in our instant-gratification world. Think about it: Texting "Happy Birthday!" gives you instant satisfaction. Message sent, obligation fulfilled, done. But handwriting forces you to sit with your thoughts, to really consider what you want to say. You can't just hit delete if you mess up halfway through."

Handwriting and mailing greeting cards requires time, effort, and physical steps like choosing a card, composing a message, buying stamps, and visiting the post office. The deliberate slowness of handwriting forces reflection and careful word choice, producing a more meaningful expression than a quick text. This behavior exemplifies delayed gratification, where present inconvenience is accepted for a richer future impact. Psychological research linking delayed gratification to better outcomes supports the idea that handwritten gestures signal patience, thoughtfulness, and resistance to instant digital convenience in a culture of rapid notifications.

Read at Silicon Canals