Selfless Giving Makes You Scientifically Happier

by Emily Washburn | November 27, 2024 | Winter Reads

Have you ever gotten warm, fuzzy feelings after helping a neighbor in need?

It’s not all in your head. Acts of generosity increase our brain’s production of dopamine — one of the hormones that make us feel happy.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter the brain produces to signal when an experience, like eating a certain food or listening to a certain kind of music, is worth repeating. Dopamine inspires pleasurable feelings that encourage us to keep seeking the same stimulus.

Studies show selfless giving stimulates two of the brain’s reward centers: the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which creates dopamine, and the ventral striatum, which interprets dopamine signals. These results suggest the brain processes kindness as a pleasurable behavior, or, as Time magazine puts it:

Altruism is hardwired in the brain — and it’s pleasurable.

This isn’t true in all circumstances. For instance, people generally don’t experience a dopamine high when they are coerced or manipulated into giving. But more than a decade of research confirms the positive relationship between pleasure chemicals and kindness across different ages and relationships.

Naomi Eisenberg, a social psychologist and neurobiologist who studied the effect of generosity during the pandemic, told PBS, “We found that even in the height of COVID, two or three acts of kindness a week seem to significantly reduce levels of depression and anxiety.”

Psychologists say this neurological phenomenon has to do with humans’ “basic psychological need for ‘relatedness,’ or feeling close to others.” This conclusion isn’t wrong, but it isn’t complete, either.

Humans are deeply relational creatures because we are created in the image of a relational, triune God. Genesis 1:26 (ESV) reads, in part:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

Genesis 2:18 subsequently reads:

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

God meant for humans to live together. He made our brains to enjoy acts of generosity in service of this community. How’s that for intelligent design?

This Thanksgiving, as we remember the generosity of the Wampanoag Indians toward the starving Mayflower pilgrims more than four centuries ago, give thanks also for the incredible capacity God gives us for kindness.

And if you’re feeling low this holiday season, remember that giving of yourself will make you scientifically feel better.