In a lab at the University of British Columbia, beneath the glow of fluorescent lights, a toddler—still too young to form a complete sentence—sat before a small bowl of Goldfish crackers and a plush puppet named “Monkey.”
An Unfailing Source of Happiness
The Goldfish cracker experiment pinpointed what kind of giving feels particularly good. To do this, the researchers varied the conditions. Sometimes, children gave up one of their treats; other times, they were offered an extra that the researcher “found.” The purpose of this variation was to distinguish the difference, if any, between simply giving and giving by forfeiting something personally valuable.As expected, the toddlers expressed joy upon first meeting the stuffed animal or when given a toy. Researchers documented the children’s happiness through behavioral observation and facial analysis.
Happiness soared, manifesting as a “warm glow,” when the toddlers engaged in “costly giving”—sacrificing their own treat and sharing it with the puppet rather than donating the “found” treat provided by the researcher.
A Medicine Better Than Pills?
Generosity goes beyond subjective well-being; it turns out it’s great for the heart, too.The “generous” group had significantly fewer stress-related markers than the control group. For instance, they had smaller increases in systolic blood pressure, which alleviated the cardiovascular stress response. Additionally, they had lower levels of salivary alpha-amylase, an enzyme linked to the “fight-or-flight” response, indicating less activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Pain Relief
Giving to others provides another unexpected benefit: relief from physical pain.In another example, researchers verified the pain tolerance effect through the cold pressor test, in which participants submerged their hands in freezing water and saw how long they could tolerate the cold.
Those who had just volunteered to revise a handbook for migrant workers’ children without pay reported significantly less pain and endured the cold for much longer than those who either declined to volunteer or completed the task as a mandatory assignment (control group). On average, the group that volunteered to help tolerated the pain nearly twice as long as the control group.
Strikingly, out of all the participants, only 11.6 percent managed to tolerate the icy water for the maximum time of three minutes. Who were these remarkably resilient few? Each one belonged to the generous volunteering group.
The same study applied this natural pain-relieving effect to cancer patients by having them practice helping others for three weeks. This included preparing meals for other patients and cleaning public spaces within the hospital. The result? The cancer patients reported clinically significant reductions in chronic pain levels, with improvements observed over several weeks.
Neuroscience of Generosity: It’s Not All Tit for Tat
Marsh explained that brain regions such as the ventral striatum and ventral tegmental area are highly active when people engage in generosity. These regions are the same ones that light up during pleasurable experiences such as eating or achieving a goal, suggesting that being generous feels intrinsically rewarding on a neurological level.Accordingly, the brain processes generosity differently depending on the motivation behind it. According to Marsh, different motivations for generosity—reciprocity, fairness, or pure altruism—are associated with distinct patterns of brain activity.
For example, helping someone because of concerns about fairness (wanting to ensure equality) engages brain regions responsible for rule-based thinking. On the other hand, purely altruistic actions—helping someone out of compassion or empathy—activate networks linked to emotional understanding and connection.
But why do some people go to extraordinary lengths to help others, even strangers, without expecting anything in return?
“There was some data that suggested that when people choose to give to others, it’s mostly because they are actively suppressing the desire to be selfish,” she said. “But we tested this question in altruistic kidney donors and found no evidence it was true.”
These individuals showed more activity in empathy-related structures in the brain. Their brain activity “mirrored” the stranger’s brain in a way very similar to when they experienced pain themselves. Marsh found it interesting that these altruistic people had larger amygdalae—a brain region that plays a key role in emotions—which is the opposite of people who are psychopathic or highly uncaring. These donors’ decisions reflected their genuine value of the well-being of others.
“In other words, they help others because they intrinsically value their welfare,” Marsh said.
William Chopik, an associate professor of personality psychology at Michigan State University, suggests that this generosity binds people together, fostering goodwill and cooperation.
These findings highlight a truth about generosity: It isn’t always about getting something back; it’s not always tit for tat. For many, it’s based on their values, empathy, and the joy they get from helping someone or sharing. And indeed, compared with animals, humans stand out for their capacity to care deeply about a broad range of individuals, including strangers. We seem uniquely wired to find such acts of caring intrinsically rewarding, Marsh added.
The Boundaries of Generosity
Is all giving equal? Apparently not.The study suggests that these differences arise because experiences are more likely to create meaningful connections, fond memories, and a sense of shared joy. Contrastingly, material gifts may sometimes feel transactional or less personal.
Further, more is not always better. Generosity is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Just like cake becomes less enjoyable after too many slices, an abundance of gifts—or overly lavish ones—doesn’t necessarily yield more happiness. A small, meaningful gesture such as purchasing a cup of coffee for someone can provide the same emotional uplift.
Generosity thrives in authenticity. Genuine, autonomous giving enhances happiness; however, giving for extrinsic reasons, such as pressure or obligation, can diminish or even negate all benefits.
The pressure of obligation can be particularly noticeable during the holidays. Accordingly, the holidays can amplify stressors, manifesting as financial strain or the urge to outdo others, yet also represent a unique time to reflect on the virtue of generosity versus greed.
From toddlers to adults, science shows that generosity reliably correlates with improved health and happiness. Yet giving doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We can be generous in our day-to-day lives, Chopik told The Epoch Times: Help a neighbor take out the trash, donate a little to charity, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or simply lend an ear to a friend during a difficult time.
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