Scientific evidence backs up anecdotal evidence that giving is a great road to personal growth and happiness. We now know that donating engages the same areas of the brain that are excited by food and sex thanks to fMRI technology. Altruism is encoded in the brain and is rewarding, according to experiments. Helping others may hold the key to a better, healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful life.
However, it’s vital to note that giving isn’t always a pleasant experience. Giving, on the other hand, may make us feel exhausted and exploited. Our giving should be motivated by our passion. It’s not how much we give that matters, but how much love we put into it. It’s only natural that we’ll be more concerned with this and less concerned with that, and that’s fine. It should not only be a question of doing the right thing, but also of doing what is best for us. A gift of time is frequently more useful to the recipient and more fulfilling to the giver than a monetary gift. We may not all have the same amount of money, but we all have time on our hands, and we can use some of it to help others—whether we dedicate our lives to service or just a few hours each day or a few days a year. “Giving to a cause that specifies what they’re going to accomplish with your money leads to more happiness than giving to an umbrella cause where you’re not sure where your money is going,” says Harvard scientist Michael Norton.
