There is an old cliché saying it is better to give than to receive. Now that Christmas is near, and it means you have to give a lot of presents, did you know that there is also joy in giving? A new study revealed that there is a science behind the good feeling when you give a gift.
According to Saint Partners Philanthropy Services founder and "The Giving Way to Happiness" author Jenny Santi, there is evidence that showed the "joy of giving" is connected in the brain. "Altruism is hard-wired in the brain and is pleasurable," she said, per the South China Morning Post.
There are two brain reward systems that work together when you give a gift. One is the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA), the part stimulated by food and sex." The second one is the subgenual area, a spot stimulated when you see babies and sweet couples.
Hong Kong psychologist Scarlett Mattoli from The Psynamo Group added that choosing, preparing, and giving gifts could lighten your "mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway." These things also make you feel motivated, rewarded and understood.
A study made by social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn at Canada's University of British Columbia in collaboration with Harvard Business School showed that people feel happier when they spend more on others than on themselves. "How people spend their money may be at least as important as how much money they earn," she said in her report on "Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness." Spending money on other people has a more positive influence on one's happiness than spending it on themselves.
Red Balloon added that giving also produces endorphins that make you happy. Neurologists revealed that the brain is wired to feel the pleasure from giving.
When the receiver opens the gift and looks happy and excited, it will give a psychological lift to the giver and trigger the release of endorphins to the brain. When it happens, it will produce the same cocktail of euphoric feelings like pleasure and joy. It is the same emotion you feel when you did a tough workout or fall in love.
Giving gifts can also strengthen and develop relationships. A gift that has a strong meaning for two people can be a non-verbal way to say their feelings and appreciation for each other. Hence, it is the thought the counts.
A little act of generosity can lift your spirit. It can also make you feel assured that your partner is giving you importance, and is definitely a keeper.
