There are few things in life that make me as
visibly happy as the 8 year old is in this picture.
When do we lose that ability to be completely
engulfed in the sheer fun of living? The thought made me a little sad. Then I
read a magazine article that says you can buy happiness.
"Hot dog! Sign me up!" I thought and flipped quickly to
the article… which then went on to detail a research study. Hate when they do
that. Reading research studies is such a slog!
But it turns out this particular study had some
good findings about happiness and gifts, two things I very much enjoy. So I
kept at it. The researchers found that in every
country, except one, folks became pretty darn happy when they gave someone a
present. Happier when they gave the
present than when they got the
present.
Generosity makes us happy. (Unless you live in that
one pesky country.) Which we do not.
The take away? Being
generous is good. Good for other people and even better for you. Got it.
But sometimes it’s hard to be generous. We’re time
pressed and money pressed and creatively challenged. The article had an answer
for this too. It said to do an experiment, yourself or with your family.
Give $10 away. You decide how. One lady got 10 one
dollar bills and hid them in different library books. Another bought the meal
for the person behind her at the drive through.
I can’t wait to try this idea out with the guru
crew. What a great, visible way to spread the love. You’ll brighten someone’s
day and – bonus! – get to enjoy the feel good vibes yourself.
Gift away, guru girls & guys! Will let you know
the results of our family experiment once it’s underway.
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