We often hear it said that there is more happiness in giving than receiving. There seems to be some research to back it up, and it may just change our outlook on life.
A psychology professor at the University of British Columbia was involved in the study. Her name is Elizabeth Dunn, and she says that there may be a link, which she calls a “casual link,” between the generosity that people have and their degree of happiness.
In an interview with CBC, she said: “Frankly, I find it very reassuring that humans have this sort of baked-in tendency to experience joy from helping others.”
According to Dunn, the research was done by changing the conditions people are facing. In her estimation, the results are clear to see.
One of the experiments that was run by the researchers included walking up to people that were randomly selected on the campus. They were provided with a $5 bill or, at times, a $20 bill, and told they should spend the money by the end of the day.
Half of the people who received the money were told to use it to benefit somebody else. The other half were told to use it to benefit themselves.
Most of the people who were part of the research had no idea what they were taking part in. They were just contacted and asked how they felt, including their level of happiness.
She said: “What we saw in that experiment is that people felt happier after using this money to benefit others than after using it to benefit themselves.”
It was suggested that there could be a correlation between our level of happiness and the way that we treat others. She also says it is important to be kind to ourselves.