The Joy of Giving

Especially right now…

 

Ahhh, but here’s the secret: Giving always feels better than getting. So why do we only do it a couple of days a year, birthdays and Christmas?

The happiness we feel after a particular event or activity diminishes each time we experience that event, a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation. But giving to others may be the exception to this rule…”

Two studies found “…that participants’ happiness did not decline, or declined much slower, if they repeatedly bestowed gifts on others versus repeatedly receiving those same gifts themselves.”

Learn what every great moral leader has tried to teach us: It is better to give than receive.

A lot of people you once sort of took for granted could really use your help right now: waiters and waitresses and restaurant owners; the people you pay to clean your house; the guys who cut your lawn; the homeless; the hourly-wage employees who’ve been thrown out of work…

You are surrounded by need today. If you can give, do so.