All Things Considered, March 20, 2008 · Does money buy happiness? Researchers and bar-goers alike have long debated this slippery question.
The verdict is far from clear. Studies show that money does make people happier, but only up to a point. Beyond a certain level, additional income yields hardly any additional happiness. The United States, for instance, is four times wealthier than it was in 1950 yet Americans report being no happier than they were half a century ago.
A new study, published today in the journal Science, suggests that what matters most is not how much money we have but, rather, what we do with it. Spending money on others, it shows, can boost our own happiness.
The researchers first asked a group of college students how happy they were. They then gave the participants money — either $5 or $20. Half were told to spend the money on themselves. The others were told to spend it on others, such as giving a gift to a friend or making a charitable donation. That evening, the researchers again asked the students to gauge their happiness.
It turns out that the participants who spent money on others reported a much greater happiness boost than the ones who spent money on themselves. And, surprisingly, the amount of money the students were given didn't seem to matter at all. It was how they choose to spend it that determined their happiness levels.
Interesting research! Isn’t it?
I thought that we are more tending to share our goods, when we have our portion first. Like, what if some of the people need help right now? I guess they have to wait till I am ready to help, because I’m not happy with what I have now. That is how my thinking usually works. If I’m happy, I usually think I can make others happy. But that’s not research telling us it’s the other way around.
the relationship between giving versus the amount of wealth we have is a most interesting question. in the end, giving probably has more to do with an attitude of the heart than with how much we own.
ReplyDeletewe often say to ourselves that we would give to others if we only had more. those who have the heart to give, give regardless of how little or how much they have; those who are disinclined to give, don't even though they might have a lot.
the truth is undoubtedly reflected in the research--giving, regardless of how much or how little one has, yields genuine happiness, satisfaction and joy.
for christians, this is probably especially true, because in giving, we are emulating the nature of our Heavenly Father who gives abundantly, and pours forth generously His wondrous and glorious blessings.