29 Oct The right ways to spend money for happiness!
Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal
Can money buy happiness? Apparently it can–if that money is spent on someone else. New research shows that people around the world gain emotional benefits from using their financial resources to benefit others. The research, which included data from 136 countries, was conducted by Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, and John Helliwell, University of British Columbia; Robert Biswas-Diener, Centre of Applied Positive Psychology; Imelda Kemeza, Mbarara University of Science & Technology; Paul Nyende, Makerere University; Claire Ashton-James, University of Groningen; and Michael I. Norton, Harvard Business School. Key concepts include:
- Much like eating or sex, generosity seems to generate positive feelings in almost everyone, regardless of cultural context.
- Survey respondents reported a greater sense of well-being after reflecting on a time when they spent money on others rather than on themselves.
- Although spending money on others differs in both form and frequency in poor versus rich countries, the emotional consequences are consistently positive.
To read the original research JUST CLICK HERE