Charity brings happiness: study
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People who volunteer or donate money to help others are more likely to be satisfied or happy with their lives, a study in Singapore has found.
Those who give more, whether of time or money, and more frequently, also tend to rate higher for satisfaction and happiness.
This is because people who give derive a sense of personal meaning from helping others and become more grateful for what they have, said Professor David Chan, director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute and professor of psychology at the Singapore Management University.
Chan was the consultant for the survey of 1,512 Singapore residents last year, commissioned by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).
Another motivating factor is the sense of community created through interaction with the people they help, he added.
The bi-yearly survey tracks volunteerism and philanthropy trends in Singapore. It found that two-thirds of those who volunteered or donated in the past year were satisfied and happy with their lives. In contrast, 45 per cent of those who did not volunteer or donate were satisfied.
And more than 70 per cent of those who served 12 or more volunteer hours, or gave S$100 (Bt2,486) or more in the last 12 months registered high levels of well-being compared to 63 per cent of those who gave less time and 59 per cent who gave less money.
