I Hope You’re Well: Magical Thinking in Digital Correspondence

The ubiquitous practice of opening emails with “I hope you’re well” has sparked public debate on whether it is mindless or folkloric (i.e., mindful and purposeful). This essay addresses the issue by analyzing the cognition behind this and related expressions. Drawing on the concept of Einfache Forme...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Western folklore 2021-07, Vol.80 (3/4), p.341-364
Main Author:	Bronner, Simon J.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Cognition & reasoning Correspondence Electronic mail systems Folklore Folklorists Mindfulness Pandemics Psychology Traditions Writing
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	The ubiquitous practice of opening emails with “I hope you’re well” has sparked public debate on whether it is mindless or folkloric (i.e., mindful and purposeful). This essay addresses the issue by analyzing the cognition behind this and related expressions. Drawing on the concept of Einfache Formen and practice theory, the essay hypothesizes that the verbal enactment of hoping and wishing is psychologically significant in its framing of magical thinking at the core of folklore.
ISSN:	0043-373X 2325-811X