Giving to Charity Creates Sustained Happiness

The Theory

Researchers have long known that people’s happiness with almost anything new diminishes over time — the type of food they eat or their income level, for example — if it remains unchanged.

Two researchers sought to find out whether that phenomenon holds true for giving. Does “the happiness we feel from helping other people rather than ourselves” wear off over time?

The Test

The researchers conducted experiments in which people in one group were each given $5 a day for five days to spend on themselves, and people in another group were given $5 a day for five days to give to someone else. Another experiment involved people who won small amounts of money in a game. The people in one group were allowed to keep the money for themselves while those in the other group had to give it to a charity of their choice.

The Results

People in the study showed the typical response to getting the money themselves: The happiness they expressed with their windfall declined significantly over time. “Past research suggests that people are inevitably quick to adapt in the absence of change,” the researchers wrote. However, that phenomenon didn’t hold true for giving to others. “The happiness we get from giving appears to sustain itself,” the researchers wrote.

Dig Deeper

Fundraisers are always looking for novel ways to motivate their donors. However, the study suggests they may want consider playing up the emotional value of steady, long-term support. “Each time you help the same person, you’re deepening the relationship,” says Ed O’Brien, one of the study’s authors.

Find It

“People Are Slow to Adapt to the Warm Glow of Giving,” published in Psychological Science by Ed O’Brien, assistant professor at the University of Chicago, and Samantha Kassirer, a doctoral student at Northwestern University.