Money for Nothing

The latest secret to happiness? Give away your cash. That’s according to professors at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School. They compiled data from studies around the world showing that spending money on other people gives us a bigger kick than spending it on ourselves. What’s even neater: Donating your dough is equally rewarding whether you’re living off chickenfeed, or swimming in the big bucks. The professors, who have co-written a book called Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, refer to this discovery as “a psychologically universal human trait.”

Does the size of emotional reward depend on the value of the cash you’re giving away? If so, here’s the equivalent to a cheap high.

Grumpy Old Men… And Women

You’ve all met them… those folks who try to get away with blunt-bordering-on-rude remarks by implying it’s a positive character trait: “Hey, I just tell it like it is.” But honesty, as I teach my kid, is not always the best policy.

Of course I want my daughter to grow up to be a truthful person, one who is fair and forthright, who lives and works with integrity. I’m not suggesting she go out of her way to be disingenuous.

But there are occasions when honesty is not necessarily the advised course of action. Certainly not when someone asks prying questions, like your age or your income. You have a right to silence on these issues. But there are also times when a small white lie is the kindest course of action you could take in the moment: “I like your haircut.” Right? Or, “No need to apologize – I’d forgotten all about it.” You know what I’m talking about.

According to Queendom, a website run by a psychologist in Montreal, people who blurt out whatever’s on their mind tend to be less sensitive to others’ feelings, more impulsive, and faster to fall into a rage. Surprise, surprise, they’re also less popular in their social circles. If you find you’re offending other folks whenever you open your mouth, not to worry. Queendom.com staff have helpfully listed suggestions on how to be a little more tactful when you talk.

Gratitude Goes Far

Don’t ever doubt a simple “thank you” has power. An associate professor at Harvard Business School has published a brand-new book about influences on human behaviour and decision-making. In it, Francesca Gino shares insights from her experiments with gratitude.

Francesca and her colleagues asked students to provide suggestions, by email, to a so-called fellow pupil (he was phony, of course) who wanted help polishing his job application letter. Half the group who helped got a rather neutral response: “I received your feedback on my cover letter.” The rest got actual acknowledgement. “I received your feedback on my cover letter. Thank you so much! I am really grateful.” (If you ask me, the exclamation mark really ratchets up the appreciation factor.)

No shock here. The students who were thanked were more than twice as likely to feel better about themselves after providing the help. Furthermore, they were also twice as likely to agree to assist the next fake student applying for a fake job.

Gino calls this the “gratitude effect” and says she was surprised by these research results. But I’m not… are you?

P.S. Thank you for reading this! I am so very grateful.

Young at Heart

We’ve known from previous studies that volunteering in your old age keeps you from keeling over. Now a new study at the University of British Columbia has found that even for teenagers, good deeds are heart-healthy. In the experiment, just over a hundred high school students were split into two groups. One group was assigned to volunteer at an after-school program for younger children, while the other group languished on a waiting list. Ten weeks later, the kids were compared. The do-gooders scored healthier on inflammation, cholesterol levels and BMI measures. The wait-listers did less well, cardiovascularly speaking. Conclusion? Volunteering keeps you young – even if you’re only a kid.

Think Happy Thoughts

Want to beef up your brain power in your old age? Try thinking positive. Researchers at Ohio State University have found that when seniors are in a good mood, they’re more likely to perform well on memory and decision-making tasks. Earlier studies have shown similar effects in younger adults. And it doesn’t take much to get happy: In the Ohio State experiment, test subjects were given candy and thank-you cards, and were set up on computers with smiley-sun wallpaper. That was enough to give them a lift… and an edge in cognitive testing.

So next time you see grandma, give her a reason to smile, whether it’s a big hug, or one of those molasses cookies she likes. You’ll be doing her mental faculties a favour.

Got Girls? Good for You

Do you happen to have a daughter? If so, you’ve got a lot of goodness in your life, according to a Buzzfeed contributor who writes “7 Scientific Reasons To Have Daughters.” (We’ll assume, for generosity’s sake, that the word “scientific” is used loosely here.) She makes the case that “daughters can make their parents healthier, happier and nicer.”

This writer argues that daughters do a world of good for their folks, and she points to various studies to support her claims. For example, she says, daughters are more likely than sons to give financial assistance to their senior parents. And families with two girls are the happiest, compared to all possible combinations of sons and daughters. And having daughters contributes to a dad’s longevity.

Unfortunately, the writer’s logic is, well, a tad flawed. Yes, female baby boomers are a little more likely than males to give money to their moms and dads. But the same study found that males are a lot more likely to help with home maintenance – which sounds like a pretty useful trade-off to me.

How about those happy families with two girls? The researchers here found that while a pair of daughters did spell perfect bliss, a set of four daughters actually puts parents at the wholeheartedly miserable end of the spectrum. (Less is more?)

And that whole live-longer-with-daughters study? That may work out for dad, but it turns out daughters – and sons, for that matter – actually serve to shorten the life of poor, frazzled mom.

It’s fun to play with science, isn’t it? At the end of her article, the writer cites a study showing that daughters often give medical advice to mom. And while that sounds lovely and caring and kind, on the other hand it begs the question: Just what kind of messed-up, half-assed health advice are these girls dishing out, if it’s sending mom into an early grave?

No matter. I have a daughter, and I do believe with all my heart that she contributes health and happiness to my life. Will my life span be a little shorter because I have a girl? Will my lawn get overgrown, because I have no son to tend it? I don’t care. Minutes ago, I got a sweet smackeroo planted on my cheek. So… totally… worth it.

I kissed a girl, and I liked it…

Crowd Pleasers

Kind kids are happy kids. And as it turns out, they’re also more popular. You may be thinking, “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” but that’s actually a recent conclusion of researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of California.

In their experiment, 400 classroom students between the ages of 9 and 11 were divided into two groups. Group One was asked to do simple good deeds, like sharing a lunch treat or hugging a parent to lift her spirits. Group Two was told to take note of any places they’d been that they enjoyed, like the park or Grandma’s kitchen. The kids did this for four weeks straight. (And can I just pause here to give kudos for their commitment? Four weeks is a lifetime when you’re nine.)

At both the beginning and end of the four weeks, the children rated their level of happiness. They also pointed out which kids in their class they’d want to work with on a school activity.

By the end of the experiment, both groups felt happier. But when it came to being chosen as a classroom collaborator, the students who had been doing good deeds were more likely to be picked than the kids who’d kept track of dreamy visits.

When I was a kid, my dad bought me an animal poster for my room that read: “The best way to have a friend is to be one.” I was more enthralled by the cutesy-furry kitten photo than the actual maxim (truth be told, I was a little insulted… my dad had never given me wall decorations before. What was he trying to tell me?)

But being nice is good advice. And I don’t think you don’t have to be nine to follow it.

Could Your Town Convert a Grinch?

This will be my last post of 2012, so I’ll leave you with something merry to chew on (besides Grandma’s fruitcake). The Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto has come up with a mathematical formula for calculating the cities with the highest potential for Grinch conversion. Specifically, which metropolis is most likely to grow a Grinch’s heart three sizes bigger?

The variables they take into account include density of population (assuming more people means more merriness), number of costume rental stores where Santa suits can be easily procured, number of retail stores for gifts and butchers for roast beast, and number of music-makers. They also measured nighttime illumination levels – because, apparently, lights are required in order to catch the Grinch’s attention. And they even counted the hospitals, assuming the Grinch would need serious medical attention after such an accelerated change to his heart tissue.

The study only looked at American cities, and I guess Whoville isn’t on any U.S. map because even though it’s a sure thing, it didn’t make the top ten. The community that did take the top spot for Grinch-heart-growth potential was Trenton, New Jersey. Other towns that were tapped include New York City, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Detroit.

Such a complex research project… I would expect no less from the world’s leading think-tank on the role of sub-national factors in global economic prosperity. But I don’t care what any numbers say. I know my own community scores high on holiday cheer, and I’m looking forward to sipping some of it over the next few days. I hope that you, too, enjoy special time with those you love. All the best.

My friends, we will meet again in January. Joy to the world.

Love is All You Need

And now for some more mental manipulation from the University of Southern Brittany, France (all in the name of good, of course). This particular psychological experiment was held in conjunction with a blood drive at various university campuses. Students were asked to donate blood by friendly researchers wearing T-shirts. As it happens, these tees were key to the experiment. Some of the shirts were plain, some had the motto “Donating = Helping,” and some read: “Loving = Helping.” The result? Students were more likely to give blood when asked by someone in a “Loving = Helping” outfit. The other motto had no effect compared to a plain shirt.

What does this tell us? Maybe, the researchers theorize, the word “loving” prompts people to think about the needs of others (instead of that nasty poke in the arm). It’s also possible that just hearing the word “loving” puts folks in a positive frame of mind… and we know that happy people are helpy people.

Either way, it’s clear from this and other similar experiments that love conquers all, love finds a way, love actually.

Now excuse me, I’m going to go think up ways to print the word “love” on all my power suits, as it never hurts to have an edge in a business meeting…

Wake Up and Smell the Kolache

If you find you’re doing more favours during the holiday season, it might not be because you’re blissed out on good will. Rather, it may be because you’re inhaling the aroma of all those freshly baked Christmas cookies.

That’s what’s suggested by a new study at the University of Southern Brittany, France. When a young man or woman stood outside a store and accidentally-on-purpose dropped something while pretending to dig through their shopping bags, passersby were more likely to help if they got a whiff of fresh pastries. The proof is in the pudding: Outside a clothing store, a stranger stopped to pick up the dropped item about half the time. But outside a bakery, over three-quarters of the passersby lent a hand.

Were they lulled into benevolence by the smell of bread? Were they hoping for a pastry reward? Researchers believe that any pleasant scent, not just the aromas of baking, will trigger kinder behaviour. (Is that why my neighbour likes to cut my grass for me? Because we all love the smell of the fresh mow? Mystery solved.)