There are many so ways we can spend our hard-earned dollars - but what happens when you give to someone else instead?
We all know that giving to others can make you feel good about yourself. This is not news to most of us, our psychological, spiritual and emotional well-being are all improved.
Feeling good about giving
A study by Harvard Business School faculty and graduate students titled " Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behaviour" explores the ways in which being charitable can lead to a number of key benefits.
Here are five great reasons to give:
1. In Australia, donations are tax-deductible - that's a buzz
We are lucky enough to actually get a tax benefit. When you donate to a charitable organisation or a non-profit group, the amount you donate is tax-deductible. So we get back when we give.
2. Giving to charity may improve your sense of well-being
You will feel a little bit better about the world and that's something we all need. Giving to others creates an improved sense of personal well-being. Even in a small act, in your subconscious, you know that you may have made a difference to another person's life and circumstance.
3. You learn
Your brain gets a buzz! Often when you donate to a charity you learn more about their work and the issues connected with their work. You may also meet the people involved in the work and the charity. As a direct result, you are more educated about the world around you and the plight of others. This experience may affect your thinking politically and socially.
4. Giving to charity can strengthen your spiritual life
Your soul gets a buzz too! In many religious and spiritual belief systems giving is integral to the whole system. Recognising that you have taken action in line with your spiritual beliefs by offering your resources to others in need can bring a sense of well-being and personal contentment.
5. Physical and social benefits may occur
Your body gets a buzz! In some cases you may be involved in physical work: delivering food, cleaning up outdoor areas, packing goods. As a result, you may feel a high degree of satisfaction that "you have actually have done something for someone else" who you do not even know.
This is a wonderful quote:
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
(Luke 12:48)
