JOY of giving lasts longer than joy of receiving

 The happiness we feel after a particular event or activity decreases each time we experience or relive that event. There is, however, an exception to this “hedonic adaptation” phenomenon: giving to others is that exception, according to this study to be published in the journal Psychological Science.

Using 2 experiments, these psychology researchers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University demonstrate that participants' happiness does not decline when they "give" to others. On the other hand, the level of satisfaction drops, “by dint” of receiving. While previous research has shown that with repetition and decreasing novelty, the happiness associated with a type of experience decreases over time, this is not the case with repeated giving, which brings those who give always more happiness.

 

• In a first experiment, 96 participants received 5 dollars a day for 5 days, were asked to spend this money on the same thing each day. The researchers randomly assigned the participants to spend the money, either for themselves or for someone else. Participants reflected on their expenses and rated their level of satisfaction associated with the end of each day. The analysis reveals a clear trend, those who spent on themselves report a steady decline in felt happiness over the 5-day tracking period and the opposite is true among those who spent on others. Their joy of giving for the fifth consecutive time is just as strong as on the first day.
• A second experiment conducted online by 502 participants invited to play 10 turns of a word game and allowing them to win $0.05 per turn, confirms that the satisfaction or happiness declared by those who donated their winnings decreases significantly. slower than the satisfaction or happiness reported by those who kept their gains.

 

Why always the same pleasure to give? While adapting to happiness-generating experiences motivates us to always seek out and acquire new resources, why doesn't this also happen with the pleasure of giving? Researchers suggest that when we focus on one outcome, like getting paid, we'll compare outcomes back and forth, which will reduce our sensitivity to each experience. When we focus on an action, for example making a donation, we are less on the comparison and we experience each act as a unique event, source of happiness.

We may also be slower to adapt to the happiness generated by giving, as it helps us maintain our prosocial reputation, thereby strengthening our sense of social connection and belonging.