Want to be happier? There is a very simple solution: give! Generosity activates areas of the brain linked to happiness, reveals a study conducted by German, American and Swiss neurobiologists and published in the journal Nature.
To prove that generosity and the feeling of happiness are indeed linked in the brain, the authors carried out an experiment, during which they explained to 50 volunteers that they would receive 25 Swiss francs, or approximately 23 euros, each week. , for a month. The participants were then divided into two groups: the researchers asked those in the first to commit to sharing their money with others, and those in the second to spend it on themselves. Participants who were required to show generosity reported higher levels of happiness than others.
The simple intention to give is enough
The volunteers then took part in tests, during which they had to explain how they wanted to spend their money. Meanwhile, researchers were observing the activity of three areas of their brain using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): the first related to altruism, the second to happiness, and the third to decision making. And what they found is surprising: These three areas interacted differently depending on whether study participants were committed to being generous or selfish. The researchers observed that the simple intention to give activated the altruistic zone of the brain and reinforced communication with that of happiness. The promise to be generous would therefore suffice to be happier!
But how do you put this generosity into practice in order to feel the benefits? “You don’t have to become completely self-sacrificing to feel happier. You just need to be a little more generous ”, concludes Philippe Tobler, co-author of the study.
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