The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Many of us are thinking twice about parting with our hard-earned dollars these days, finding greater comfort the perceived safety of our own little economic foxholes. We’re re-defining needs and wants. We’re cutting back, staying home, and thinking carefully before spending on anything. Frankly, donating even to worthy causes feels unsettling when there are pressing needs like paying the mortgage and feeding our families. Yet there is rock-solid evidence that investing in the safety and happiness of others makes our own sense of safety and happiness soar.

Did you know that when you volunteer or donate to a cause you are passionate about, you reap significant health benefits for yourself? Studies have also shown that as little as 40 hours of volunteering per year can extend your own life span. That may be a result of feeling more connected since strong social relationships have long been associated with lower risk of depression and Alzheimer’s, as well as general physical well-being and mental health. That’s great news since there is plenty we could be depressed about these days! Even better, this pleasure principle may be measurable. MRI studies have shown that the happiness derived from providing for others activates the same area of our brain that lights up when we see an attractive person or win a prize.

There is also a sense of personal power generated by giving. Sharing, even when you only have a little to give, boosts your own confidence which translates into better choices and more success for you. And giving to a person or organization you know may be the best medicine of all. In the article “The Price of Happiness” (Good Housekeeping, July 2009) author Brett Graff tells the story of Colleen Lake, a single mom in New Hampshire who had developed a friendship with one of the sales reps who served her company. One day, the sales rep cancelled an appointment due to car trouble. Though not wealthy herself, Lake took a deep breath, called the repair shop, and gave them her personal credit card. “I felt supersonic,” Lake said. “It put me in a place that money can’t buy - $600 meant the world to her. There isn’t anything I could have bought for myself that could have given me the same feeling.”

The giving muscle needs regular “exercise” to stay fit and pass along its health benefits. Thankfully, a little goes a long way. Years ago, a friend decided it was time to shed a few pounds about the same time she decided she needed to be donating more consistently. She wasn’t really overweight and already gave sporadically, but wanted to do something more concrete in both areas of her life. She chose to give up soda and donate the saved money to a homeless shelter. She made a “bank” by cutting a hole in a jar lid. Every time she would be temped to go to the soda machine, she would plop the change into the bank instead. Watching the money grow inspired her to keep going. Knowing that she was feeding others by treating her own body better gave her a renewed sense of power.

When your focus is on acquiring more stuff of any kind, you are likely to only gain an uneasy feeling of wanting more. It’s not that the stuff itself is dissatisfying. Instead, as you focus on getting, the natural tendency is to compare your stuff to others’ stuff and never quite measure up. Someone always has more of something! Instead, a growing body is evidence suggests that a focus on giving – your time, your talent and your money – has the greatest ROI on the bottom line of your life.

Giving to others will give back to you in ways you can’t imagine right now. Challenge yourself to give something every day, no matter how small it might seem at the moment. Stumped for where to start? How about just giving smiles to random strangers! And be sure to come back and tell us what happened next!