The Benefits of Generosity
Charitable organizations have always focused on the motivations behind generosity and that has led to a long history of research in this area. Studies over the years found a variety of different motivators like empathy, sympathy, guilt, altruism, and even public recognition. Obviously, some of these motivators are more wholesome than others, but the time, talent, and treasure given because of generosity are all the same. “Generosity is not identical to pure altruism, since people can be authentically generous in part for reasons that serve their own interests as well as those of others… Generosity, like all virtues, is in people’s genuine enlightened self-interest to learn and practice” (Notre Dame Research). Self-interested giving is nothing to be ashamed of and in fact is incredibly common.
The point is that whatever originally motivates a person to give is only the first step. There are no lesser or greater motivators, it is the action that matters. Through these actions, generosity is practiced and that is what is important. As generosity becomes a habit, motivations change and giving becomes a part of a person’s life.
In reality, generosity is good for anyone and everyone, there are plenty of confirmed health and psychological benefits giving that have been proven through scientific research. Some health benefits that are associated with giving are lower blood pressure, increased self-esteem, less depression, and lower stress levels. Additionally, in 2006 and 2008 separate studies found the same effect giving has on happiness. When people give, it creates a “warm glow” effect in the brain because of the endorphins it releases, also known as the “helper’s high”
Finally, it has also been proven that happier people tend to be more generous as well. Early studies on this topic in the 70’s found that people were more likely to exhibit pro-social behavior after experiencing a positive event. More recently in the 2008, a study found that generally happier people (not only after experiencing a positive event) also are emotionally more capable of helping others and have more optimistic personalities, leading to charitable behavior.
Basically… generosity makes people happy, and happy people are more generous, leading to the most awesome feedback loop in the entire world.
