Research shows that acts of generosity, like gift-giving, are contagious and increase happiness. Giving and receiving are also fundamental for good relationships.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
If, like me, you have still got people you have not accounted for on your holiday shopping list, you may be feeling the pinch. Buying, wrapping and schlepping gifts takes time. So is all that effort worth it? NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports on what researchers who’ve studied gifting have concluded.
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: The idea that it’s better to give than to receive goes way back, and the tradition of gift-giving is ancient. But sometimes the time and effort it takes feels like a lot, says psychologist Michael Norton of Harvard Business School.
MICHAEL NORTON: People get very, very stressed about getting all the gifts in time. Is it the right gift? You know, what does this person really want? Do I have time?
AUBREY: I always imagine strolling through quaint shops as carolers sing, spotting something unique for everyone on my list. But the reality is far more tedious, more like scrolling online and just hoping something can be delivered by next week. So when the holidays feel more frenzied than festive, it’s easy to question whether it’s all worth it. But Norton assures me that science shows giving is good for us.
NORTON: We can show in our research that that act of giving actually does improve your happiness.
AUBREY: He and his collaborators have studied the effects of giving, going back to a study published in 2008. In one experiment that included about 700 people, they randomly assigned participants to make either a purchase for themselves or for somebody else. Afterwards, the participants reported how happy they felt. Turns out giving to others led to a significant boost.
NORTON: If you take $5 out of your pocket today, the science really does show that spending that $5 on yourself doesn’t do much for you. But spending that $5 on…
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