Does giving to charity make you feel happier than buying something for yourself? Answer: YES! Tune in today to learn more about how charitable acts benefit happiness. 

 

Transcript:

 

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat, and today, I want to talk to you about charity. While I have mentioned charitable giving in passing, I want to dive deeper today. You know that phrase “money can’t buy happiness.” Well, it can…as long as you are buying something for someone else.

A 2008 study by Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton found that spending money on someone else provided greater happiness than buying something for ourselves. The pleasure of giving to someone could actually be linked to the release of endorphins, commonly known as a “helper’s high.”

Along with that happiness rush, charitable giving evokes gratitude. Whether you are the one giving or the one receiving, gratitude promotes happiness for both parties. We have talked a lot about gratitude here on Everyday Happiness, so I won’t go further back into that today, but you know the details!

In addition to making us happier, charitable acts increase social connection. As I have mentioned in past episodes, social connections are a critical component of our happiness. Studies have shown that when we are charitable, it promotes a sense of trust and cooperation with everyone involved. We feel closer to those we are helping and vice versa. We also feel closer to those who help along with us, whether family, friends, colleagues, or community members.

As Sonya Lyubomirsky writes in her book The How of Happiness, “Being kind and generous leads you to perceive others more positively and more charitably… it fosters a heightened sense of interdependence and cooperation in your social community.”

Lastly, I want to note that kindness is contagious! When you give, it initiates a ripple effect of generosity. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, by James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, found that when one person acts charitably, it inspires other people also to act altruistically. Not only does it remind people of the benefits of charity, but it encourages them to give and inspire even more people to do the same.

So whether you want to volunteer, buy gifts for others, or donate money, I encourage you to consider how to incorporate charitable acts into your Intentional Margins.

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