A study found that spending money on someone else made people happier than buying something for themselves.
Economist Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in the U.K. says Dunn’s results will surprise most economists, who would hold that spending money on yourself gives the greatest happiness bang for the buck. “It’s an intriguing result you won’t find in Economy 101 textbooks,” he says.
A related study was published last summer that used brain imaging and concluded that voluntary giving was preferred over taxation. Am I the only one whose response to both of these results is “No Duh!”? People are not 100% selfish, therefore philanthropy must provide some perceived benefit.
