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The Science of Giving: Why It Feels Good to be Generous WHY GIVING MAKES US HAPPIER Many of us believe spending money on ourselves will make us happier than spending money on others. Yet the opposite is true: In one study, participants were asked to spend $5 on themselves or $5 on someone else. Guess which group was measurably happier? Those who spent on other people! When you give to another person, there’s a physiological response: - Your brain's pleasure and reward centers light up as if you were the recipient of the good deed—not the giver. - You get a boost of feel-good endorphins—the same ones associated with a runner’s high. - Oxytocin, a hormone also released during sex, floods your body, lowering your stress and making you feel more connected to others. A dose of oxytocin will cause people to give more generously and to feel more empathy towards others—and those “symptoms” can last up to 2 hours. This is likely why recipients of kindness generally want to keep paying it forward. In fact, a single act of kindness can inspire several more acts of generosity. [Designers: Illustrate one act of kindness spawning several more, and those acts spawning more…a kindness chain that keeps growing] To start a domino effect of warm and fuzzy feelings: - Pay the toll for the car behind you - Offer your seat to someone else on a crowded train or bus - Pick up 5 pieces of trash the next time you’re on a walk - Write a thank-you note to your child’s teacher or coach - Invite a neighbor who lives alone to join you for dinner And keep your eyes peeled for random acts of kindness: Simply witnessing generosity can spur more acts of good. WHAT GIFTS REALLY MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER? $804.42 what the average person will spend on holiday gifts this year. Before you plunk down your plastic for the latest gadget… Research shows experiential gifts lead to more happiness than material ones. Experiences that make awesome gifts: - A vacation - Lessons (like art, music or cooking) - A membership (to a gym, museum or botanical garden) - Tickets (to a concert or sporting event) If you still want to wrap a present, consider giving a gift card: That’s what 62% of people surveyed say they most want to receive. You don't need to choose just one… Pick up a few $5 cards to different retailers instead of one $20 card. Why? Frequent, small pleasures tend to make us happier since we don’t adapt to them and become bored as quickly. For an even greater happiness boost, tag along with the recipient when he uses his gift card! GIVING AND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS Generosity is one of the key factors for a happy marriage, according to a 2011 report from the National Marriage Project. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend big bucks on each other. Small acts of kindness on a regular basis trump big-ticket presents at the holidays. …but It's Still Better to Pick a Good Gift Than a Mediocre One! Men in long-term relationships are significantly more likely to say that the relationship will continue after learning that their girlfriends have selected a desirable gift for them. Spend on Those Closest to You Begrudgingly buying your boss a gift won’t give you as big a happy boost as picking something up for your bestie: Research shows that we derive more happiness from spending money on people with whom we have strong ties than on those we don’t. Parents, Listen Up! The more you give kids today, the more supportive they’re likely to be as you age. (This doesn’t mean spoiling them rotten! Spending more time with them is what they really want…at least deep down.) HOW GIVING MAKES YOU HEALTHIER Being stingy will stress you out What’s worse, the more shame you feel about being a Scrooge, the more stressed you’ll feel. Generosity may become increasingly important as we age. Research shows that those who provided practical help to friends, relatives, or neighbors, or gave emotional support to their spouses, had a lower risk of dying over a five-year period than those who didn’t. 41% of Americans volunteer an average of 100 hours a year. Of those who volunteer: - 68% felt physically healthier - 89% said it “improved my sense of well-bring” - 73% felt less stressed In his book Why Good Things Happen to Good People, Stephen Post reports that giving to others has been shown to increase health benefits in people with chronic illness, including HIV, multiple sclerosis and heart problems. WHY GIVING BACK IS LIKE A BIG GIFT FOR YOU Doing volunteer work is associated with high levels of overall life satisfaction. In 120 out of 136 countries, people who donated to charity in the past month reported greater satisfaction with life. (This is true for poor and rich countries alike.) Yes, It's This Powerful! Across the 136 countries studied, donating to charity had a similar impact on happiness levels as doubling household income! More Connection, More Joy Spending money on others—or giving money to charity—leads to the greatest happiness boost when giving fosters social connection. - Donate to an organization where a friend or relative volunteers - Enlist a “volunteer buddy” to join you for a few hours at your local homeless or animal shelter - Round up some friends to help you make cookies for the school bake sale - Give back to an organization where you’ll actually get to see the benefit, like the music program at your kids’ school Feeling cornered can suck the joy out of giving. Not surprisingly, research finds we feel better about helping people when we chose to do so ….and worse when we feel like we have to. $335.17 billion: Total giving to charitable organizations in the U.S. in 2013 Where are we donating our money? 31% to religious organizations, followed by education, human services, health, environment and animal charities. 60% of millennials give an average of $481 to charitable causes annually. How U.S. States Stack Up in Generosity 5 Most Giving States 1. Utah (10.6% of discretionary income goes to charity) 2. Mississippi (7.2%) 3. Alabama (7.1%) 4. Tennessee (6.6%) 5. South Carolina (6.4%) 5 Least Giving States 1. Rhode Island (3.1% of discretionary income goes to charity). 2. Massachusetts (2.8%). 3. Vermont (2.8%) 4. Maine (2.8%) 5. New Hampshire (2.5%) “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston Churchill SOURCES Anik L., Aknin L., Norton M., Dunn E.. Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behavior. Science. Barraza, J.A. & Zak, P.J. (2009) Empathy toward Strangers Triggers Oxytocin Release and Subsequent Generosity. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. The Chronicle of Philanthropy: How America Gives Credit Donkey: Gift Giving Statistics: What Is Underneath Your Christmas Tree? Dunn, E. (2010) On the Costs of Self-interested Economic Behavior. How Does Stinginess Get Under the Skin? Journal of Health Psychology Dunn E., Gilbert D., Wilson T. (2011) If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right. Journal of Consumer Psychology Dunn E., Aknin L., Norton M. (2008) Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science. Goodman, J.K. (2013) Giving Happiness: Do Experiential Gifts Lead to More Happiness? The Helper’s High by James Baraz, Shoshana Alexander. The Millennial Impact: 2013 Millennial Impact Report National Retail Federation Silverstein, M. et al. (2002) Reciprocity in parent-child relations over the adult life course. The Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. The Statistics Portal The State of Our Unions. 2012: The President’s Marriage Agenda for the Forgotten Sixty Percent Thomas, B. (2010) Is it better to give or to receive? Social support and the well‑being of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. VolunteerMatch.org Why it’s Good to Be Good by Stephen G. Post

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