Generosity and Giving: The Secret Ingredient to Happiness and Longevity

This holiday season, remember that a common misconception is that the beneficiaries of a gift are the happier party after they receive a gift. However, this is not true. Psychologist have discovered that actually, the giver is happier long term as a result of his or her generosity. For more on why giving makes you…

Read More

Emotions in Gift Giving

What do you say when you receive a gift you are not too fond of? In light of this holiday season, the University of Hertfordshire has conducted a study on gift giving. The focus of this study was determining whether or not gift givers could tell whether or not a recipient liked a present just…

Read More

Really Experiencing the Holidays

While Christmas is often visualized with a heap of neatly wrapped presents under a tree, a growing body of research suggests that true happiness comes from a very different sort of gift giving. A team of psychological researchers, including Dr. Amit Kumar and Dr. Thomas Gilovich, have worked to distinguish between the happiness gained from…

Read More