Making a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending

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dc.contributor.authorAknin, Lara B
dc.contributor.authorDunn, Elizabeth W
dc.contributor.authorWhillans, Ashley V
dc.contributor.authorGrant, Adam M
dc.contributor.authorNorton, Michael I
dc.date2023-05-17T20:21:27.000
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-22T23:55:02Z
dc.date.available2023-05-22T23:55:02Z
dc.date.issued2013-04-01
dc.date.submitted2018-07-09T09:21:49-07:00
dc.description.abstractWhen does giving lead to happiness? Here, we present two studies demonstrating that the emotional benefits of spending money on others (prosocial spending) are unleashed when givers are aware of their positive impact. In Study 1, an experiment using real charitable appeals, giving more money to charity led to higher levels of happiness only when participants gave to causes that explained how these funds are used to make a difference in the life of a recipient. In Study 2, participants were asked to reflect upon a time they spent money on themselves or on others in a way that either had a positive impact or had no impact. Participants who recalled a time they spent on others that had a positive impact were happiest. Together, these results suggest that highlighting the impact of prosocial spending can increase the emotional rewards of giving.
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/40469
dc.legacy.articleid1346
dc.legacy.fields10.1016/j.jebo.2013.01.008
dc.legacy.fulltexturlhttps://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1346&context=mgmt_papers&unstamped=1
dc.rights© 2013 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
dc.source.beginpage90
dc.source.endpage95
dc.source.issue320
dc.source.journalManagement Papers
dc.source.journaltitleJournal of Economic Behavior & Organization
dc.source.peerreviewedtrue
dc.source.statuspublished
dc.source.volume88
dc.subject.otherprosocial spending
dc.subject.otherprosocial impact
dc.subject.othersubjective well-being
dc.subject.otherhappiness
dc.subject.otherdonations
dc.subject.otherBusiness Administration, Management, and Operations
dc.subject.otherBusiness Intelligence
dc.subject.otherBusiness Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics
dc.subject.otherCognition and Perception
dc.subject.otherCognitive Psychology
dc.subject.otherExperimental Analysis of Behavior
dc.subject.otherManagement Sciences and Quantitative Methods
dc.subject.otherNonprofit Administration and Management
dc.subject.otherOrganizational Behavior and Theory
dc.subject.otherPersonality and Social Contexts
dc.titleMaking a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending
dc.typeReport
digcom.contributor.authorAknin, Lara B
digcom.contributor.authorDunn, Elizabeth W
digcom.contributor.authorWhillans, Ashley V
digcom.contributor.authorGrant, Adam M
digcom.contributor.authorNorton, Michael I
digcom.identifiermgmt_papers/320
digcom.identifier.contextkey12457900
digcom.identifier.submissionpathmgmt_papers/320
digcom.typereport
dspace.entity.typePublication
upenn.schoolDepartmentCenterManagement Papers
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