The science of generosity: Why giving makes you happy

Being generous isn’t just about putting a smile on someone else’s dial. In fact, there’s interesting science behind the idea that doing good makes you happy, too.

The science of generosity

The Christmas holidays are a time for giving, which always makes people feel good.

As a child, there’s nothing more exciting than waiting to unwrap your Christmas presents, but when you grow up, the best part is waiting for someone to unwrap the perfect gift you’ve given.

Generosity can come in all kinds of forms, from charitable things like donating money or volunteering your time, to everyday acts of kindness like picking up your friend’s kids from school, offering to cook dinner so your partner can put their feet up — or yes, helping a little old lady cross the street.

However, it’s not just about putting a smile on someone else’s dial. In fact, there’s interesting science behind the idea that doing good actually makes you happy, too.

MONEY ACTUALLY CAN BUY HAPPINESS

Michael Norton, a professor at the Harvard Business School, published a study in the journal Science back in 2008 that suggested while money might not buy you love, it might buy you happiness if you spend it in the right way. He and his colleagues questioned 632 Americans about how much they earned and how they spent their money, and then asked them to rate their happiness.

Regardless of their income, people who spent money on others reported greater levels of happiness than people who only spend their money on themselves.

“So instead of buying yourself a coffee, buy your friend a coffee and that might actually make you a happier person,” Professor Norton told The Guardian.

In 2014, another American study took it a step further — this time, from the University of Notre Dame.

Sociologists studied the social habits of 2000 people over a five-year period, and published their findings in a book called The Paradox of Generosity. They measured altruistic activities like time spent volunteering, percentage of income donated, and making yourself emotionally available.

Those who described themselves as “very happy” volunteered an average of 5.8 hours per month, while those who considered themselves “unhappy” volunteered just 0.6 hours.

Meanwhile, researchers identified lower rates of depression among people who donated more than 10 per cent of their incomes (41 per cent versus 32 per cent of those who don’t).

They also found people who were more emotionally available and hospitable in their relationships were more likely to be in excellent health than those who weren’t (48 per cent versus 31 per cent).

Again, they found the happiest people were almost always the most generous.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO FOSTER GENEROSITY IN CHILDREN

In some ways, giving is a human instinct. For example, children often share their presents with other children — it’s not only a good way to make new friends, but it also makes for a guaranteed good time. After all, who wants to play with a train set or chase a ball around on their own?

Natasha Tamplin is the Myanmar Portfolio Manager for World Vision Australia, and she has experienced innately altruistic behaviour first-hand.

Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in southeast Asia — sandwiched between Thailand, Laos, China and India — but she told news.com.au about a group of children in one village who were making and selling liquid soap and balm to help other children in their community.

They were raising funds to buy backpacks for two children who couldn’t afford them.

In another village, she met a group of about 20 children saving small amounts of their pocket money together and using it to look out for others through a generic social fund.

“I was blown away by the confidence and empowerment of this group. So far, they’ve managed to collectively save about $30 to spend on activities that benefit other vulnerable children in their community,” Ms Tamplin said.

“When children like these show initiation, passion and dedication for their own development and have heart to serve those who are vulnerable in their community, it’s easy to find yourself reflecting that you’ve just met the future leaders of the country.”

Giving activates the happiness centre in your brain

Christian Smith, the sociologist who wrote the study, told New Republic the aim was to focus not just on who gives or why they give, but also to determine what effect it has on the giver to be generous.

He explained there wasn’t just a correlation between generosity and happiness, but a causation.

“We argue that it involves neurochemical changes in the brain, that it gives people more pleasure chemistry in their brain, a sense of reward for having done something good,” Mr Smith explained.

“We don’t argue it’s one-way. We argue it’s circular. The more happy and healthy and directed one is in life, the more generous one is likely to be.”

Basically, giving a gift causes the happiness centre in your brain to light up.

In an article for Psychology Today, published in 2014, Dr Eva Ritvo referred to three neurochemicals — dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin - as the “happiness trifecta”.

Basically, serotonin affects things like sleep, digestion, memory, learning and appetite. Dopamine is connected to motivation and your sense of pleasure and pain, while oxytocin promotes bonding with other people, as well as a decrease in blood pressure, and enhanced wound healing.

She noted that any activity which boosts their production causes a boost in mood.

“Neuroscience has demonstrated that giving is a powerful pathway for creating more personal joy and improving overall health,” Dr Ritvo said. “So if giving allows us to secrete all the chemicals at once, we owe it to ourselves to give as often as possible!”

Considering there are so many benefits to giving, it’s important to foster generosity in children. In fact, you could argue Sir Winston Churchill hit the nail on the head when he said: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give”.

Originally published as The science of generosity: Why giving makes you happy