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The Hidden Path to Lasting Happiness: Unleashing the Power of Giving
Discover How Generosity Transforms Lives and Elevates Joy Beyond Measure
There’s a Chinese proverb that says:
“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. But if you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone.”
The Link Between Giving and Happiness
Our quest began in 2014, when the journal Personality and Social Psychology published a study by a group of researchers seeking to understand the motivations for generosity and altruism. They discovered that people who spent money on others had higher levels of enjoyment than those who spent money on themselves.
Economist James Andreoni discovered a favorable relationship between donating and happiness, describing it as a “warm glow” that rewards people with a positive emotional sensation in exchange for their generosity.
Several more investigations have corroborated this link. For example, a 2014 study by Norton and colleagues found that behaviors that assist others have a large positive influence on happiness, and that prosocial spending makes people happier than personal spending.
