Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 14
MIND
WHY GIVING
feels so good
BY CONVERGE
This is the 琀椀me of year we all enjoy
receiving a gi昀琀 or two from our nearest
and dearest. Opening a present and
昀椀nding something we’ve coveted for
months is likely to give us a mighty
endorphin boost — not to men琀椀on a big
smile to our face!
But when we look over at the person
who’s given us the gi昀琀, we’ll no琀椀ce
that they too are smiling. Why is this?
If we step back and think about it from
a non-emo琀椀onal point of view, that
person has spent their hard-earned
money and a chunk of their 琀椀me
picking out this present for us — and
yet it seems to give them joy! The
simple reason for this is that the act of
giving has enormous bene昀椀ts for our
emo琀椀ons, our wellbeing and
our happiness.
What Happens When We Give?
When we give, two areas of our brains are
ac琀椀vated — the ventral striatum and the
septal area. These feel-good regions of our
brains are responsible for the happiness
you feel when you give that gi昀琀 to a
loved one, or give to charity. In fact, one
study found that there was more ac琀椀vity
in these areas than when a person wins
money for themselves.
