Well-being ·

Money spent on others returns more happiness

What they found

People who spent money on someone else - gifts, treats, donations - ended up happier than people who spent the same amount on themselves. HOW money was spent predicted happiness better than how much.

How they know

A national survey, a study of employees before and after a windfall bonus, and an experiment handing people $5 or $20 to spend on themselves or on others by evening - the amount made no difference, the direction did.

What it means for you

The fastest documented return on money is buying something small for someone else. The coffee you pay for at a meeting counts.

The limits

Effects are real but modest; giving helps most when it is chosen, connects you to someone, and its impact is visible - obligation kills it.

Source: Science (2008) - read the full study

This is a short takeaway in our own words, not a reproduction of the study. For the method, the sample and the caveats, read the original. Mind lives inside the Booking Minds app under the brain icon, where you can save and share each piece.

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