‘Tis the season . . . the giving season.
Excerpts from this blog have been taken from Jason Marsh and Jill Suttie’s article, from the Greater Good, called The Science of a Meaningful Life. Marsh and Suttie write that research demonstrates that there are significant benefits to giving, not just for the receiver but for the giver as well.
Here are the top 5 reasons according to Marsh and Suttie why giving is good for your health and overall happiness.
1. Giving makes us feel happy
Research shows that when people give they activate regions of the brain associated with pleasure and release endorphins in the brain producing positive feelings.
2. Giving is good for our health
Research has linked different forms of generosity to better health.
3. Giving promotes cooperation and social connection
Sociologists studying happiness have found that when you give to another you are more likely to get something in return, whether from the same person or from someone completely different.
4. Giving evokes gratitude
Whether you give or are the recipient, research shows that giving elicits feelings of gratitude which is integral to happiness.
5. Giving is contagious
The “ripple effect” is part of the giving process as the act of giving often spurs an effect of generosity through the community.
Dec. 2, 2014 is #GivingTuesday and the Huntington Society of Canada is one of thousands of charities participating. GivingTuesday is a new global movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Black Friday. The “opening day of the giving season,” it’s a time where charities, companies and individuals join together and rally for favourite causes. To learn more about GivingTuesday, please click here.
You can also give to the Huntington Society of Canada by donating now. If you feel comfortable, please share the good news of #GivingTuesdayCA on Twitter and Facebook. You will be amazed at how many choose to encourage others to give. Donate now using our special #GivingTuesdayCA link.
Your support has enabled the Huntington Society of Canada to accomplish many things over this past year. (Click here for details.) Thank you! In 2015 the global Huntington community is working in collaborate to introduce 5 human clinical trials. This is a first! To read more about our new clinical trials, watch for the winter edition of Horizon scheduled for distribution in mid-January.
For more details on how giving is good for you, check out 5 Ways Giving is Good For You by Jill Suttie and Jason Marsh, Greater Good The Science of a Meaningful Life – December 13, 2010.