Scientific Facts About Generosity

Generosity,thetraitorvirtue thatencouragesustogiveawayfreelyandabundantlywhileexpectingnothing inreturn,isoftendubbedasthe“artofgiving”.Anart,becauseitbrings thesamepeaceandjoytothegiverthatanartistexperienceswhilecreating theirart.Sincethisisan articlethatapproachesGenerosity,generallyunderstoodasapersonality aspectorvaguelydefinedasavirtue,fromascientificperspective,weneed toestablishaconcretedefinition-orattheveryleast,createa distinguishableworkingdefinitionforidentifyingpurposes.Forthisarticle, aswellasinmostofthestudieswhichprovideinformationforthisarticle, Generosityisabroaddefinition,whichmanyconstructsfallunder,namely “prosocialbehaviour”and“altruism”.Pleasedokeepinmindthatthesedon’t fullycapturewhatwemeanbygenerosity,butareusedasplaceholdermeasures tohelpusattempttofindpatterns.1.GIVINGISONTHE RISEDespitethenotionthathumansocietyisdescendinginto materialisticgreedwitheachpassingyear,studiessurprisinglyshowthat peoplearegettingmoreandmoregenerous.Thepastdecadehasseenaginormous jumpingenerosity,accordingtorecentresearch.From2001and2011(themost recentsetofdataaccessible),generousnessanddonationworldwidegrew significantlyby240%.Theremightbequiteafewreasonsforthis.First, duetoglobalisation,anupsurgeineconomicactivityaroundtheworldtranslates togreaterandmorestableincomeforpeople,whichmeanstheyfeelmoresecure ingivingawayastheyhaveenoughforthemselves.Secondly,earningmorethantheyneedmightinduce guiltinsomeindividuals,especiallywhenfacedwithpeoplewhodon’tearn enoughtomakeendsmeetandthedisparityin wealth.Thirdly,ina fiercelycompetitiveworld,lotsofindividualsresorttoquestionablemeansin ordertogetahead,orearnmoreinashortamountoftime,andoftentryto cleartheirconsciencebygivingawayanddonatingmeanwhileconvincing themselvesthattheyare“givingback”.Whetheranyoftheseactscanbeconsideredtrue generosityisdebatable,butitisstillanactthatresultsinthoseinneed ofhelpgettinghelp.Anditisnotnecessarysuchsituationsapplyto everyone,surelytherearemanywhodogiveawayoutofpurenessoftheir heart.2.GIVING MAKESYOUFEELGOODGivingmoneytosomeoneelseorhelpingoutsomeonein thetimeofneedactuallymakesyoufeelbetterthanspendingitonyourself, asgatheredfromresearchbyagroupofstudentsfromtheHarvardBusiness School.Individualsparticipatinginthestudyassumedtheoppositewouldbe true,buttheresultswerehardtodeny.Again,therecouldbemanyreasonsforthis.In environmentswheregiving,donating,andcharityareencouraged,youassociate actsofgenerositywiththeadjectiveadmirable.Thisexplainsthatwhenyou commitanactofgenerosity,youassociate“admirabilty”withyourselfinyour self-image.Itimprovesyourperceptionofself-worth,ultimatelymakingyou feelgoodaboutyourselfandfeelingconfidentin yourself.Fromaneurological perspective-manypaststudieshavelinkedgivingawayoractsofgenerosity withactivityintherewardcentresofthebraini.ereleasing“feel-good” hormoneswhenyouarebeinggenerous.3.PEOPLEWHOEARNLESS,GIVE MOREStudieshavefoundthatpeopleinthelowerandmiddle socioeconomicclassestendtodonateandprovidemorecommunityservice (proportionately).Infact,theresearchconcludedthatthelesssomeoneearns, theirlikelihoodtogivemoneytohelpothers increases.Thiscouldbe explainedbythefactthatthelesspeoplehave,themorestrugglestheyface, themorelikelytheyaretoempathisewiththeplightofotherswhodon’thave enoughandwillextendthehelpthattheywishtheyhadwhentimeswere tough.Anotherexplanation couldbethatthemorepeopleearnandhaveatasteofluxury,themorethey arelikelytochasethewilltoacquiremore,andgivingawayis counterproductivetothatgoal,leadingthemtohoardmorefor themselves.4.GIVING ISCONTAGIOUSScientificresearchstudiesdisplaythatactsofgenerosity createarippleeffectofgood-doing,encouragingotherstomimicgenerous behavioursaswell.Researchstudiesalsofoundthatthewaveofpositive impactspreadsexponentially–likeasocialnetwork.Sooneactofgenerosity endsupencouragingmultipleandmultiplesofpeopletodothesame,involving hundredsofpeopleinawakeningtheirgenerous side.Socialconformity couldbeareasonableexplanationforthisphenomenon.Socialconformityrefers tothelikelihoodofpeoplecopyingorinculcatingbehaviourstheyseeinthose aroundthem,sometimesgoingtotheextentofnotevenquestioningthereason behindit.Thisworksintwoways-first,whenyouseeapersondosomething youassumetheremusthavebeenacertainamountofthoughtthatwentbehindit whichconvincedthemtheactwasworthbeingcarriedout,whichmeansitwould makesenseforyoutocarryoutthesameactivitytoo.Second,thesocial “cost”(shouldtheactiongowrong),isdivisiblewhensomeoneelseisdoingit too.Youwouldntbefacingthebacklashalone,henceyouseeitasslightly lessriskyandaremorelikelytodoittoo.Anotherreasoncouldbethatwealwaysfeellikewe needto"payitforward",hencewheneverwehaveanactofkindness extendertouswefeellikeweshouldgivebackbyhelpingsomeoneelse too.5. AUSTRALIANSLOVEGIVINGAnonlinepollontrendsingivingacrossmanynations foundthatAustraliaisthecountrymostgenerous,withoversixty-fiveper centofthepopulationmakingregulardonations.Irelandcloselyfollowedas thesecondmostgenerouscountry,andCanadawasplaced third.6. EVOLUTIONARYROOTSOFGENEROSITYManymightassumethatbeingselfishisbeing“true” toournature,researchhascalledthatassumptionintoquestionwithcontrary evidence.Thisdoesnotsuggestthatgenerosityismore“natural”tohumans thanselfishness;rather,evidenceproposesthathumanshavebothselfishand generousaffinities.Putsimply,generosityisnotsimplyaculturalconstruct (thoughculturedoesplayapartinthelikelihoodofapersonbeingmoreor lessgenerous).Whileourselfishinstinctsmaygetrecognisedmoreeasily, multiplestudieshaveshownthatourinstinctsforgenerosityalsohavedeep evolutionaryroots.[FunFact:Armyants,bees,andfishhavebeen observedtoshowcaseimpressivecooperativebehaviours.Sparrowslikepied flycatcherswillparticipateinriskymobbingbehaviourtodriveawayperceived dangerorapredatorfromanother,non-relativebirdofadifferentspecies —butwon’tdothesametohelpbirdswhohadshownselfishbehaviourswhohad defectedfrompreviousmobs.Evidenceofgenerosityinourfellowspecies suggeststhatprosocialbehaviourmayinfactbeanevolutionarytacticthat haspromotedthesurvivalofour(andother)species.]7.BIOLOGICALROOTSOF GENEROSITYResearchsuggeststhat,duetoevolution,humansare bornwiththebiologicalsystemsrequiredforgenerosity.Specifically,wehave braincircuitsandhormonesystemsinplacethatarereadytohelpushelp others—andmakeusfeelgoodwhiledoingso.Goingbacktothepreviouspointwhichestablishes givingactivatestheneuralpathwaysthatstimulaterudimentaryareasofthe brain,couldalsobeunderstoodasasignthatgenerosityisimportantfor survival—sincewhenanactivityfeelsgood,we’remorelikelytodoit again—andthus,duetoevolution,thebehavioursthataremostfundamentalto oursurvivalalsomostlikelymakeusfeelgoodtoensuretheactsare repeated.8.OTHER FACTORSINFLUENCINGGENEROSITYTherearemanypersonalfactorsthatcaninfluence generosityinanindividual.Innatefeelingsofempathy,compassion,andother emotionsmotivateustohelpothers.Astudyfoundthatempathycreatesa headspacewheretheselfandtheothersoverlap—asenseof“oneness”with others—whichexplainswhywhensomeonehelpsothers,theyfeelasiftheyare alsohelpingthemselves.Somepersonalitytraits,suchasagreeablenessand humility,areassociatedwithhighgenerosity,andsometimesaperson’s propensitytoengageinprosocialbehaviourisconsideredapersonalitytrait initself.Aperson’svalues, morals,andsenseofselforidentitycanalsoaffecthowwillingtheyareto begenerous.Inonestudy,somestudentswereaskedtostand amongtalleucalyptustreesandlookupintotheskyforoneminute,while anothergroupofstudentssimplylookedupatanearbybuildingforoneminute. Thosewholookedatthetreesreportedexperiencingmoreself-describedawe—and alsohelpedaresearcherwho“accidentally”spiltastackofpensonthe ground,bypickingupmorepens.Somemorestudies suggestthatgendermayinfluencegenerosity,althoughresultsfromdifferent studiesmanytimeshaveshownconflictingfindings.Unmarriedmen’sgivingwas moresensitivetoincomeandtaxincentives,andtheytendedtogivealarger amounttoafewercharities,whereasunmarriedwomentendedtogivesmaller amountstoagreatervarietyofcharities.Fromtheparticipantpool,thosewho weremarried,donatedaspairsandtheamountdependedonwhowasmakingthe givingdecisions.Whenthecoupledecidedjointlyorthemalestookthelead, couplestendedtogivealargeramounttofewernumberofcharities.Andwhen thefemaletookthelead,thepairsgavesmalleramountstoagreaternumberof charities.Aninterestingfindwasthatcouplesthatmadetheirgiving decisionsasapairgavelessamountoverallcomparedtothosecaseswhereone personmadethedecisions.Religionisanotherfactorinfluencingindividualgiving.A studyfoundthatreligiouspeopleweretwenty-fivepercentmorelikelyto donatemoneytoacharitythanatheistsor agnostics.Someshort quick-firefactsaboutgenerosity:Peoplewhogiveontheir own,accordingtowhattheydeemappropriate,regardlessofifitisthrough financial,emotionalorsocialmeansofsupporttoothers,reporthigherlevels ofhappiness.Whenpeoplearehappytheyarelikelytogivemore,whichthen leadstoacircleofgenerositythatpromoteshappiness,whichthenleadsto moregivingandsoon.Peopletendtoactmoregenerously rightafterthinkingofthemselvesinthecontextofthecommunitytheybelong to.Individualswhoaremoreinvolvedincommunityorganisationsorcharitable organisationsoringeneralinvolvedintheircommunitybyothermeansspend moretimevolunteering.Peoplearemoregeneroustothe peoplethatarecloselyrelatedtothem,regardlessofwhethertheyarerelated bybloodorbyfriendship.Manystudieshavefoundthat peoplegivemoremoneywhencharitiesshowadistinctlyidentifiablerecipient, givinganamemakesthedonationfeelalotmorepersonal.Generositymakesindividualsmore attractiveasromanticpartnersandsexualselections,thismayhaveplayeda roleinhumansocialevolution.Generosityhasarippleeffectas peoplearemoregenerousafterbeingwitnesstoanactofgenerositybysomeone else.Positiveemotionssuchas gratitude,fascination,andelationencouragepeopletobemore generous.Peoplewhoaremoreinvolvedin religiousorganisationsorholdstrongertiestotheirreligiousbeliefs, volunteertwenty-threepercentmorethantheirnon-religious peers.Peoplewhogivemoneyorextendsome sortofhelptoothersreportincreasedlevelsofhappiness,leadingto increasedgivinginthefuture.Peopleengageinfourpercent morepro-socialbehaviourforeachnewfriendandacquaintancethattheymake.Theactofgivingsupport emotionallyorfinanciallycanpushthemortalityratehigherinsenior citizens.Americansdonatedover427Billion Dollarsin2018.Generositybetweenspouses increasesmaritalsatisfactionanddecreasesthechancesofgetting divorced.Manystudieshavefoundthat children,toddlers,andinfants,asearlyaseighteentothirtymonthsold instinctuallyofferhelpandresourcestofamilyandstrangersalike, suggestingthatgenerosityisquitepossiblyaninnateability.Donatingmoneystimulatesthesame pathwaythatisactivatedbyfood,sexanddrugs.Thisexplainswhyitcanfeel goodtobegenerous.

Since this is an article that approaches Generosity, generally understood as a personality aspect or vaguely defined as a virtue, from a scientific perspective, we need to establish a concrete definition - or at the very least, create a distinguishable working definition for identifying purposes. For this article, as well as in most of the studies which provide information for this article, Generosity is a broad definition, which many constructs fall under, namely “prosocial behaviour” and “altruism”. Please do keep in mind that these don’t fully capture what we mean by generosity, but are used as placeholder measures to help us attempt to find patterns.

1. GIVING IS ON THE RISE

Despite the notion that human society is descending into materialistic greed with each passing year, studies surprisingly show that people are getting more and more generous. The past decade has seen a ginormous jump in generosity, according to recent research. From 2001 and 2011(the most recent set of data accessible), generousness and donation worldwide grew significantly by 240%.

There might be quite a few reasons for this. First, due to globalisation, an upsurge in economic activity around the world translates to greater and more stable income for people, which means they feel more secure in giving away as they have enough for themselves.

Secondly, earning more than they need might induce guilt in some individuals, especially when faced with people who don’t earn enough to make ends meet and the disparity in wealth.

Thirdly, in a fiercely competitive world, lots of individuals resort to questionable means in order to get ahead, or earn more in a short amount of time, and often try to clear their conscience by giving away and donating meanwhile convincing themselves that they are “giving back”.

Whether any of these acts can be considered true generosity is debatable, but it is still an act that results in those in need of help getting help. And it is not necessary such situations apply to everyone, surely there are many who do give away out of pureness of their heart.

2. GIVING MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD

Giving money to someone else or helping out someone in the time of need actually makes you feel better than spending it on yourself, as gathered from research by a group of students from the Harvard Business School. Individuals participating in the study assumed the opposite would be true, but the results were hard to deny.

Again, there could be many reasons for this. In environments where giving, donating, and charity are encouraged, you associate acts of generosity with the adjective admirable. This explains that when you commit an act of generosity, you associate “admirabilty” with yourself in your self-image. It improves your perception of self-worth, ultimately making you feel good about yourself and feeling confident in yourself.

From a neurological perspective - many past studies have linked giving away or acts of generosity with activity in the reward centres of the brain i.e releasing “feel-good” hormones when you are being generous.

3. PEOPLE WHO EARN LESS, GIVE MORE

Studies have found that people in the lower and middle socioeconomic classes tend to donate and provide more community service (proportionately). In fact, the research concluded that the less someone earns, their likelihood to give money to help others increases.

This could be explained by the fact that the less people have, the more struggles they face, the more likely they are to empathise with the plight of others who don’t have enough and will extend the help that they wish they had when times were tough.

Another explanation could be that the more people earn and have a taste of luxury, the more they are likely to chase the will to acquire more, and giving away is counterproductive to that goal, leading them to hoard more for themselves.

4. GIVING IS CONTAGIOUS

Scientific research studies display that acts of generosity create a ripple effect of good-doing, encouraging others to mimic generous behaviours as well. Research studies also found that the wave of positive impact spreads exponentially – like a social network. So one act of generosity ends up encouraging multiple and multiples of people to do the same, involving hundreds of people in awakening their generous side.

Social conformity could be a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon. Social conformity refers to the likelihood of people copying or inculcating behaviours they see in those around them, sometimes going to the extent of not even questioning the reason behind it. This works in two ways- first, when you see a person do something you assume there must have been a certain amount of thought that went behind it which convinced them the act was worth being carried out, which means it would make sense for you to carry out the same activity too. Second, the social “cost”( should the action go wrong), is divisible when someone else is doing it too. You wouldn't be facing the backlash alone, hence you see it as slightly less risky and are more likely to do it too.

Another reason could be that we always feel like we need to "pay it forward", hence whenever we have an act of kindness extender to us we feel like we should give back by helping someone else too.

5. AUSTRALIANS LOVE GIVING

An online poll on trends in giving across many nations found that Australia is the country most generous, with over sixty-five per cent of the population making regular donations. Ireland closely followed as the second most generous country, and Canada was placed third.

6. EVOLUTIONARY ROOTS OF GENEROSITY

Many might assume that being selfish is being “true” to our nature, research has called that assumption into question with contrary evidence. This does not suggest that generosity is more “natural” to humans than selfishness; rather, evidence proposes that humans have both selfish and generous affinities. Put simply, generosity is not simply a cultural construct (though culture does play a part in the likelihood of a person being more or less generous). While our selfish instincts may get recognised more easily, multiple studies have shown that our instincts for generosity also have deep evolutionary roots.

[Fun Fact: Army ants, bees, and fish have been observed to showcase impressive cooperative behaviours. Sparrows like pied flycatchers will participate in risky mobbing behaviour to drive away perceived danger or a predator from another, non-relative bird of a different species —but won’t do the same to help birds who had shown selfish behaviours who had defected from previous mobs. Evidence of generosity in our fellow species suggests that prosocial behaviour may in fact be an evolutionary tactic that has promoted the survival of our (and other) species.]

7. BIOLOGICAL ROOTS OF GENEROSITY

Research suggests that, due to evolution, humans are born with the biological systems required for generosity. Specifically, we have brain circuits and hormone systems in place that are ready to help us help others—and make us feel good while doing so.

Going back to the previous point which establishes giving activates the neural pathways that stimulate rudimentary areas of the brain, could also be understood as a sign that generosity is important for survival—since when an activity feels good, we’re more likely to do it again—and thus, due to evolution, the behaviours that are most fundamental to our survival also most likely make us feel good to ensure the acts are repeated.

8. OTHER FACTORS INFLUENCING GENEROSITY

There are many personal factors that can influence generosity in an individual. Innate feelings of empathy, compassion, and other emotions motivate us to help others. A study found that empathy creates a headspace where the self and the others overlap—a sense of “oneness” with others—which explains why when someone helps others, they feel as if they are also helping themselves.

Some personality traits, such as agreeableness and humility, are associated with high generosity, and sometimes a person’s propensity to engage in prosocial behaviour is considered a personality trait in itself.

A person’s values, morals, and sense of self or identity can also affect how willing they are to be generous.

In one study, some students were asked to stand among tall eucalyptus trees and look up into the sky for one minute, while another group of students simply looked up at a nearby building for one minute. Those who looked at the trees reported experiencing more self-described awe—and also helped a researcher who “accidentally” spilt a stack of pens on the ground, by picking up more pens.

Some more studies suggest that gender may influence generosity, although results from different studies many times have shown conflicting findings. Unmarried men’s giving was more sensitive to income and tax incentives, and they tended to give a larger amount to a fewer charities, whereas unmarried women tended to give smaller amounts to a greater variety of charities. From the participant pool, those who were married, donated as pairs and the amount depended on who was making the giving decisions. When the couple decided jointly or the males took the lead, couples tended to give a larger amount to fewer number of charities. And when the female took the lead, the pairs gave smaller amounts to a greater number of charities. An interesting find was that couples that made their giving decisions as a pair gave less amount overall compared to those cases where one person made the decisions.

Religion is another factor influencing individual giving. A study found that religious people were twenty-five per cent more likely to donate money to a charity than atheists or agnostics.

Some short quick-fire facts about generosity :

People who give on their own, according to what they deem appropriate, regardless of if it is through financial, emotional or social means of support to others, report higher levels of happiness. When people are happy they are likely to give more, which then leads to a circle of generosity that promotes happiness, which then leads to more giving and so on.

People tend to act more generously right after thinking of themselves in the context of the community they belong to. Individuals who are more involved in community organisations or charitable organisations or in general involved in their community by other means spend more time volunteering.

People are more generous to the people that are closely related to them, regardless of whether they are related by blood or by friendship.

Many studies have found that people give more money when charities show a distinctly identifiable recipient, giving a name makes the donation feel a lot more personal.

Generosity makes individuals more attractive as romantic partners and sexual selections, this may have played a role in human social evolution.

Generosity has a ripple effect as people are more generous after being witness to an act of generosity by someone else.

Positive emotions such as gratitude, fascination, and elation encourage people to be more generous.

People who are more involved in religious organisations or hold stronger ties to their religious beliefs, volunteer twenty-three per cent more than their non-religious peers.

People who give money or extend some sort of help to others report increased levels of happiness, leading to increased giving in the future.

People engage in four pe rcent more pro-social behaviour for each new friend and acquaintance that they make.

The act of giving support emotionally or financially can push the mortality rate higher in senior citizens.

Americans donated over 427 Billion Dollars in 2018.

Generosity between spouses increases marital satisfaction and decreases the chances of getting divorced.

Many studies have found that children, toddlers, and infants, as early as eighteen to thirty months old instinctually offer help and resources to family and strangers alike, suggesting that generosity is quite possibly an innate ability.