Studies reveal that when a person decides to contribute, neurons in the brain associated with a sense of satisfaction begin to fire. These findings serve as an insightful reminder of the underlying desire that many people share to make the world a better place.

One of the first things that come to mind when people hear the phrase “giving back” is giving money. And as the evidence confirms, people are happier when they give to the community or to the society to help it grow. Thus, giving is an excellent way to make yourself happier.

Contributing to charities stimulates the brain’s reward system. This implies that it is intrinsically satisfying.  In fact, donating makes us happiest when we can choose to donate. According to a different study, people reported happier moods when they donated more money but only if they had a choice about how much to give.

So, before you pull out your cheque book, we would like you to give this contribution all from your heart and with happiness. But if your own happiness is one of your motivations for giving, there’s no need to feel guilty about it. After all, happier people tend to give more. So by getting happier, you also develop into a generous individual who will keep doing good. And if that’s not a win-win situation in the end, what is?