How to Experience the Joy of Giving Right Now
New episode of The Happiness Lab: “How to Experience the Joy of Giving Right Now”
Forget Black Friday and Cyber Monday… today is Giving Tuesday. In a world that so often celebrates consumption, today is our reminder to circle back to what really matters: compassion and connection.
If you’re a happiness science junkie like me, you might already know the evidence behind prosociality — the fancy psychological term for caring for others. But it’s so important that it bears repeating: the science shows that being kind to others boosts our happiness.
And this year, we’re putting that science into action.
Join Us for Pods Fight Poverty
Today on The Happiness Lab, I’m joining forces with some of my favorite podcast hosts like Dan Harris, Jay Shetty, Alie Ward, Stephen Dubner, and Shankar Vedantam to launch Pods Fight Poverty — a Giving Tuesday campaign built in partnership with GiveDirectly and Giving Multiplier.
Our goal this year is simple and ambitious: raise a million dollars to help three Rwandan villages lift themselves out of extreme poverty through unconditional, evidence-backed cash transfers.
Unlike traditional aid, GiveDirectly uses a model that the research overwhelmingly supports: providing cash directly to families living in poverty and allowing them to decide what they need most.
When people have the freedom to allocate funds themselves, they invest in essentials that dramatically improve well-being — things like food, healthcare, safe housing, and transportation.
And I’m inviting you personally to help with #PodsFightPoverty!
The Ripple Effect of Kindness
In today’s episode, we’re sharing stories that remind us of the psychological power of giving and receiving.
You’ll hear from my friends and fellow Pushkin podcasters like Michael Lewis, who now carries a stack of $10 bills to give away on the spot, and Tim Harford, who reflects on an act of kindness from a group of strangers he still thinks about decades later.
And then there’s a story close to my heart: a short interaction I had with a six-year-old at a science festival years ago — a moment I didn’t think much about in the moment but one that quietly shaped her path all the way to becoming an aerospace engineer.
I hope this episode will give you an evidence-based dose of hope about just how far small acts of kindness can ripple.
Take Action This Week: Donate ASAP! If you’ve been meaning to do something nice, follow this simple hack from behavioral science: act while the feeling is fresh. Research shows that our motivation fades quickly — so when generosity strikes, today is the day to follow through.
I hope you can join me and your favorite podcasters as part of the #PodsFightPoverty campaign and help make a real difference this year.
Looking for more?
You can find all our companion guides from this season of The Happiness Lab on DrLaurieSantos.com/Newsletter.
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