Next, the researchers tried the "windfall bonus" approach, tracking employees who received profit-sharing bonuses, and who reported levels of happiness before and after the cash award. As expected, “prosocial spending was the only significant predictor of happiness” two months after the bonus.
Finally, the psychologists gave participants an envelope containing either $5 or $20. They told one randomly selected group to spend the money on themselves, and another group to spend it on a gift or give it away as a charitable donation. Once again, "participants in the prosocial spending condition reported greater postwindfall happiness…"
To the researchers, it appeared that "intentional activities" like giving to charity have longer-term effects than relatively circumstantial factors like bill paying or eating dinners out. Earlier work had shown much the same. But the cruel rub is that most people behave as if the opposite were true. Participants in the national survey reported spending ten times as much money per month on personal use, compared to prosocial spending.
A policy that promotes the overlooked emotional benefits of prosocial spending, the researchers conclude, might work "in the service of translating increased national wealth into increased national happiness."
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Article comments
1 - Dr Dreadful
Interesting that a team of Canadian researchers should choose Americans to be the subjects of their research.
Could it be because in American culture, money above all else defines one's every action and even one's worth as a citizen?
Just a suggestion...
2 - Dan
Voluntarily giving money to social concerns you find justifiable probably does increase happiness. But having your hard earned money confiscated by others to give away to social concerns they find justifiable probably just leads to resentment.
Then there's the happiness, and sense of accomplishment, of wealth that you've generated on your own vs. the relative lesser happiness of recieving unearned wealth.
An interesting paradox I've noticed in myself and others who have accumulated some wealth, is that they're not very materialistic people. That's how they get that way.
The happiness for them is the freedom that wealth gives them. If they spend it, they lose that freedom.
When I was poor, I wanted things I couldn't afford. I can afford some of them now, but not all of them. But now, I like knowing that I could have something if I wanted it badly enough.
The spending that makes me happiest now, is when I can find a good bargain on something that I want or need. Or, if I can buy something useful that also appreciates in value.
3 - Morris
It is amazing. Is'nt it? What makes you unhappy is really ultimately makes you happy. When you start giving money for charities, it really makes you unhappy to begin with. Because you are parting with your money. But if you continue doing it, it hurts less and ultimately turns into happiness. In other words happiness can be learnt by going through painful process of parting with money on charity. Does it make sense?
4 - sma
i like ur opinion
5 - Nathan
Money can bring happiness, although I don't believe them to always go hand in hand. The pursuit of money often brings pains and can split people apart. It is all about finding the happy medium.
6 - Dirk
Two thoughts: Studies keep rolling in, indicating that it takes a whole lot of extra money to make a real difference in how people feel. On the other hand, I can't help remembering James Dean's famous riposte to Liz Taylor in Giant, when she says, "you know, money isn't everything," and the dirt-poor James Dean character mumbles, "not when ya got it."