Making others happy with gifts makes us happy and triggers a feeling of contentment in us. We show you five reasons why giving is good for you.
6 Reasons Why Giving Is Good For You
Giving Triggers Positive Feelings In Us
According to research from Harvard Business School, giving someone else something makes us much happier than spending money on ourselves. Because when we can make someone else happy, we make ourselves happy at the same time. It doesn’t matter how much you invest for this effect. It just depends on what you spend your money on. Money only makes us happy in the long run if we spend some of it on others. The feeling of happiness and contentment is not limited to material things. Even if you “give away” your free time with a voluntary task, help someone in a difficult situation or do something for a good cause, it can make you happy.
Giving Is Good For The Body
Giving is good for the body’s feeling of happiness that comes with giving can even have a positive effect on our body: the released endorphins (including oxytocin) ensure a state of positive intoxication and activate the brain’s reward center. This process is known in science as “helper’s high”. Studies have shown that people who give regularly and help others have a lower risk of high blood pressure and are less likely to develop depression. In American studies of seniors from 1999 and 2003, older people who regularly helped others or donated to several charities even had a lower risk of death.
Giving Strengthens Social Bonds
In addition to our health, the reciprocity of giving also has a positive effect on our relationships with others. This means that if you give something to someone, there’s a good chance you’ll get something back, either from them or from someone else. Giving strengthens the social bonds in our environment and creates trust. Social contacts are an important part of life and have a major impact on our happiness. So you should take good care of them.
Giving Breeds Gratitude
Gratitude is an important part of giving as well as being happy. When you experience gratitude—whether you say “thank you” yourself and someone thanks you—you feel good about it. A study by American universities shows that gratitude can also motivate people to work more, exercise more often and be more optimistic. At the same time, gratitude also leads to a more positive perception of one’s own life.
Giving Is Contagious
If you lead by example, others will follow, because giving is contagious. Your own behavior can inspire others to do good as well, and so the chain continues. In this way you can positively influence many people around you and beyond. Conclusion: Regardless of whether you invest time, give gifts or donate: Giving is good for you, your social environment and even for your health.