Does doing something for others make you happier?
· Source: Dunn, Aknin & Norton, Science, 2008
Spending a little on someone else made people happier than spending it on themselves. The amount mattered less than who it was for.
Does doing something for others make you happier?
A small gift for someone beat a treat for yourself. In a 2008 experiment, people given $5 or $20 to spend on someone else that day felt happier by evening than people told to spend it on themselves. The amount made no real difference. One small thing for one person today. A coffee, a lift, a kind message. Pick it in the morning and do it before evening. Keep the small things you gave. Halflight writes it down under today’s date, so next month you can read it back.