We’ve looked at the story of the Good Samaritan so now it’s time to scientifically answer the question: is it better to give than to receive? Psychologists have recently examined the relationship between happiness and charitable giving. Will you be happier if you donate money rather than spend it on yourself?

The research study discussed in this episode used a 2×2 factorial design. The image below is actually a "voicethread". This is a new technology which allows you to comment and draw on images and video. Here I explain the factorial design used in this study on the effects of giving on happiness. I can’t make this image any larger here, so use your mouse to zoom in and out as I explain the 2×2 factorial design. You can also click here to see this voicethread on the voicethread site.

If you go to the VoiceThread website get an account (it’s free) and you can insert your comments into this image as well. It’s pretty neat - try it out.

• The article discussed in this episode is Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness, by Elizabeth W. Dunn, Lara B. Aknin, and Michael I. Norton, and it appeared in Science 21 March 2008: Vol. 319. no. 5870, pp. 1687 - 1688

Related Episodes

• The Good Samaritan Study
• Basic Research Design Part 1 (one independent variable with two and three groups)
• Basic Research Design Part 2 (factorial design with two independent variables)

Episodes Related to Happiness

• The Negative Side of Positive Thinking
• Positive Thinking and Running Away From Your Feelings

Popularity: 10% [?]

 

 Is It Really Better to Give Than to Receive? [17:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 10% [?]

What’s wrong with thinking positively? Could be a lot. Let’s take another look at the "positive psychology" movement in this episode of The Psych Files podcast. I’ll share some ideas for bringing about more positive events in your life, talk about social comparison theory, and then discuss how important "negative" - that is sad - feelings are in our lives. Those are moments not to run from, but to embrace.

Resources For This Episode

• Newsweek article (January 28, 2008): "The How To of Leading a Happy Life" by Jennifer Barrett. Summarizing the work of Sonja Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
• Prevention magazine (February, 2008): “Joy - How to make it last” by Siri Carpenter. Summarizing the work of Fred Bryant, Ph.D.
• Time magazine article (February 11, 2008): “Happiness: Enough Already” Sharon Begley
• Sharon Begley’s Blog
• Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy
• Chronicle of Higher Education (January 18, 2008) "In Praise of Melancholy", by Eric Wilson, Ph.D.

Social Comparison Theory

• Definition: whenever we are uncertain about ourselves, our skills, our talents, etc., we tend to compare ourselves to other people. Typically we compare to people similar to ourselves in some way (same age, similar background, belong to the same group for example). But we can make upward and downward comparison.
• Upward Comparison: you compare your self to someone who is either older, more experienced, more talented, more well off, etc. Comparisons of this type will probably make you feel worse about yourself.
• Downward Comparison: the opposite of the above: you compare yourself to someone who is less fortunate than you. These comparisons will probably remind you of how fortunate you are and will make you feel better about yourself.

Sad Songs mentioned in this episode

• Played at the end of the episode: the "Intermezzo" from the opera Cavaleria Rusticana by Mascagni. You can learn more about Mascagni and hear another version of the Intermezzo on Erik Bruchez’s excellent Mascagni website.
• "O Mio Babbino Caro" from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Puccini
• The Moonlight Sonata by Beethovan
• Tristesse by Chopin
• Lakme Duet (also called the Flower Duet) from the opera Lakme by Delibes
• Claire de Lune by Debussey
• Feel free to suggest other beautiful sad songs in your comments to this post!

Popularity: 64% [?]

 

 Positive Thinking [28:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicci by Puccini: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 64% [?]

Where do our emotions come from? From our thoughts? Or do they begin somewhere else - like in our bodies? This week we look at the work of James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter and Singer. Also, I review two classic studies in the history of psychology: the Suproxin study and the Suspension Bridge study. This week the Good, the Bad and the Ugly….Betty of emotions. Oh yes, and what does the TV show Ugly Betty have to do with all this? Find out this week on The Psych Files.
[display_podcast]

Resources for this episode

• Jonah Lehrer’s article from Seed Magazine about how Nintendo’s Wii video game creates strong emotions in players and brings some validation to the James Lange Theory of Emotions.

• The Feelings Book: The Care & Keeping of Your Emotions (American Girl)

• I referred to the January episode of the TV show Ugly Betty in which she was spraying herself with a perfume which was causing her to have unexplained heart racing, sweaty palms and heightened energy - the same kind of physiological arousal as in the Suproxin study. You can watch back episodes of Ugly Betty on the ABC website. There are commercials. If you want to get straight to the parts that are relevant to the Suproxin study, skip to 10:45 (the effects of the perfume is explained), 16:40 (she feels in love with her boyfriend), 22:15 (she’s angry at Gio) and 24:30 (can’t understand why she’s angry at Gio).

• The Story of Psychology

• The "Suspension Bridge Study": Dutton, D. G. and Aron, A.P. (1974) Some Evidence for Heightened Sexual Attraction Under Conditions of High Anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30, 510-517.

• The "Suproxin" study: Schachter, S. and Singer, J. (1962). Cognitive, Social, and Physiological Determinants of Emotional Stage. Physiological Review, 69, 379-399.

• Question: did you figure out what the problem is with the Suspension Bridge Study??

Popularity: 36% [?]

 

 Standard Podcast [31:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 36% [?]