Management Papers
Document Type
Technical Report
Date of this Version
4-2013
Publication Source
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Volume
88
Start Page
90
Last Page
95
DOI
10.1016/j.jebo.2013.01.008
Abstract
When 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.
Copyright/Permission Statement
© 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/
Keywords
prosocial spending, prosocial impact, subjective well-being, happiness, donations
Recommended Citation
Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., Whillans, A. V., Grant, A. M., & Norton, M. I. (2013). Making a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 88 90-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2013.01.008
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Business Intelligence Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons, Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons
Date Posted: 25 October 2018
This document has been peer reviewed.