Research on giving includes observational associations and experiments with mixed results. A statistical comparison with income does not mean a small gift replaces a pay rise. A non-significant difference between spending amounts does not prove equal effects. Reported group averages do not guarantee that any particular person will feel happier. Choose gifts within your budget and according to the recipient’s wishes.
The biggest test came in 2013, when Aknin and colleagues analyzed data from the Gallup World Poll covering 136 countries and 234,917 participants. They found that donating to charity was positively associated with well-being in 120 out of 136 countries, even after controlling for income, demographics, and food security.
In 2008, psychologists Elizabeth Dunn, Lara Aknin, and Michael Norton ran what became a landmark experiment. They handed participants an envelope with either $5 or $20 and randomly assigned them to spend it on themselves or on someone else.
Science wouldn’t be science without replication attempts. In 2022, Kim et al. tried to replicate the original 2008 experiment with 133 participants. Using the same composite happiness measure, they found no significant difference: prosocial spenders were even directionally less happy.