How Does Charitable Giving Benefit Health and Well-Being?

Giving money away to others may in some cases matter more than how much you make.

Giving money away to others may in some cases matter more than how much you make. According to research, donating money to charity increased people’s levels of well-being to about the same extent even when people’s incomes doubled.Meanwhile, the 2019 World Happiness Report, which collected charitable giving and well-being data from around the world, found that even after controlling for wealth and other measures of prosperity, donating money is one of the six strongest predictors of life satisfaction — none of which are directly linked to income.

The report was published by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network and includes data collected by the Gallup World Poll and Lloyd’s Register Foundation.Apart from the happiness bump, there’s evidence that people who spend money on others reap physical health benefits, too.