5 Reasons It’s Better To Give Than to Receive
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” These famous words from the Dalai Lama can be easily applied to generosity as well, since it is just another form of compassion. Generosity is often defined as being kind, understanding, and willing to give others things that have value (money, time, products). But scientific studies have found that there are selfish benefits to being generous as well.
Here are 5 scientifically backed reasons generosity is good for the giver:
Generosity makes us happy: Feeling good is a byproduct of doing good so giving of our time or money to others gives us an emotional boost. Chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins are released when we do something positive to help other people. Dopamine plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behavior, Oxytocin plays a role in social bonding, and endorphins reduce humans’ perception of pain thus helping to make us happy. This science-based fact is true across economic and cultural lines—it’s just part of being human!
Generosity makes us healthy: Studies have found that those who volunteer their time or money have reduced blood pressure! (Chronic high blood pressure kills millions of people every year.) Generosity has also been proven to reduce anxiety and depression, lower the risk of dementia, and even reduce pain.
Generosity improves our relationships (both romantic and platonic): If you make a small effort to serve your spouse on a regular basis such as making her a cup of coffee or completing a chore typically left for him to do. Generosity helps build deeper friendships because there is nothing like giving of your time or money for someone. It helps create an emotional connection that wasn’t there before and deepens your relationships.
Generosity lowers our stress: The bonding hormone—oxytocin—increases and the stress hormone—cortisol decreases. A growing number of studies have found that people who give, have lower levels of cortisol. For example, people who bring food to a sick child rather than buy a food for themselves feel happier and less stressed even when they are struggling to provide food for their own families. Giving makes you happy and happy people tend to hold less stress than those who are depressed or feel down.
Generosity extends our lives: All these factors—happiness, good health, positive relationships, and lowered stress—helps us to live longer.
Being generous is not just about giving money. You can also be generous by:
- Volunteering your time
- Mentoring someone
- Teaching someone a skill
- Use your skills to help others
- Write a kind note to a friend or coworker
If you find yourself feeling lonely or a bit down during this holiday season, try focusing on the spirit of giving instead of receiving. Check your local newspaper for food drives, volunteer activities (like feeding the homeless or spending time with the elderly at the nursing home), and more. Use this opportunity to make generosity a habit in your life, not just around the holidays. Serve others, volunteer your time, and even choose to donate money. Whatever generosity looks like to you can help improve your relationships, make you happy, keep you healthy, and lower your overall stress.
Find the Counselor That is Right for You
We know how important it is to find a counselor who “gets” you. Synergy Wellbeing’s unique Care Navigator is designed to help us find the right counselor for you.
