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  • All HBS Web  (31)
    • Faculty Publications  (15)

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    • All HBS Web  (31)
      • Faculty Publications  (15)

      Prosocial Spending Remove Prosocial Spending →

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      • December 2022
      • Article

      The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Ashley V. Whillans
      Past studies show that spending money on other people—prosocial spending—increases a person’s happiness. However, foundational research on this topic was conducted prior to psychology’s credibility revolution (or “replication crisis”), so it is essential to ask...  View Details
      Keywords: Happiness; Money
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      Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, and Ashley V. Whillans. "The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples." Current Directions in Psychological Science 31, no. 6 (December 2022): 536–545. (Pre-published online, November 9, 2022.)
      • Article

      Common Variants of the Oxytocin Receptor Gene Do Not Predict the Positive Mood Benefits of Prosocial Spending

      By: Ashley V. Whillans, Lara B. Aknin, Colin Ross, Lihan Chen and Frances S. Chen
      Who benefits most from helping others? Previous research suggests that common polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) predict whether people behave generously and experience increases in positive mood in response to socially-focused experiences in daily...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Behavior; Positivity; Behavior Genetics; Individual Differences; Behavior; Emotions; Genetics; Spending
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      Whillans, Ashley V., Lara B. Aknin, Colin Ross, Lihan Chen, and Frances S. Chen. "Common Variants of the Oxytocin Receptor Gene Do Not Predict the Positive Mood Benefits of Prosocial Spending." Emotion 20, no. 5 (August 2020): 734–749.
      • August 2020
      • Article

      Does Spending Money on Others Promote Happiness? A Registered Replication Report

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Jason Proulx, Iris Lok and Michael I. Norton
      Research indicates that spending money on others—prosocial spending—leads to greater happiness than spending money on oneself (e.g., Dunn, Aknin, & Norton, 2008, 2014). These findings have received widespread attention because they offer insight into why people engage...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Spending; Generosity; Well-being; Replication; Happiness; Behavior; Spending
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      Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, Jason Proulx, Iris Lok, and Michael I. Norton. "Does Spending Money on Others Promote Happiness? A Registered Replication Report." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 119, no. 2 (August 2020).
      • March 24, 2020
      • Article

      Delayed Negative Effects of Prosocial Spending on Happiness

      By: Armin Falk and Thomas Graeber
      Does prosocial behavior promote happiness? We test this longstanding hypothesis in a behavioral experiment that extends the scope of previous research. In our Saving a Life paradigm, every participant either saved one human life in expectation by triggering a targeted...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Behavior; Altruism; Happiness; Well-being; Spending; Behavior
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      Falk, Armin, and Thomas Graeber. "Delayed Negative Effects of Prosocial Spending on Happiness." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 12 (March 24, 2020): 6463–6468.
      • Article

      Prosocial Spending and Buying Time: Money as a Tool for Increasing Subjective Well-Being

      By: Elizabeth Dunn, A.V. Whillans, Michael I. Norton and Lara B. Aknin
      Researchers have long been interested in the relationship between income and happiness, but a newer wave of work suggests that how people use their money also matters. We discuss the three primary areas in which psychologists have explored the relationship...  View Details
      Keywords: Wellbeing; Money; Spending; Decision Making; Happiness; Well-being
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      Dunn, Elizabeth, A.V. Whillans, Michael I. Norton, and Lara B. Aknin. "Prosocial Spending and Buying Time: Money as a Tool for Increasing Subjective Well-Being." Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 61 (2020).
      • Article

      Is Spending Money on Others Good for Your Heart?

      By: A.V. Whillans, E.W. Dunn, G.M. Sandstrom, S.S. Dickerson and K.M. Madden
      OBJECTIVE: Does spending money on others (prosocial spending) improve the cardiovascular health of community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with high blood pressure? METHOD: In Study 1, 186 older adults diagnosed with high blood pressure participating in the...  View Details
      Keywords: Health; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Behavior; Performance Improvement
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      Whillans, A.V., E.W. Dunn, G.M. Sandstrom, S.S. Dickerson, and K.M. Madden. "Is Spending Money on Others Good for Your Heart?" Health Psychology 35, no. 6 (June 2016): 574–580.
      • 2014
      • Article

      Prosocial Spending and Happiness: Using Money to Benefit Others Pays Off

      By: Elizabeth W. Dunn, Lara B. Aknin and Michael I. Norton
      While a great deal of research has shown that people with more money are somewhat happier than people with less money, our research demonstrates that how people spend their money also matters for their happiness. In particular, both correlational and...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Spending; Well-being; Happiness; Money; Spending; Welfare; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving
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      Dunn, Elizabeth W., Lara B. Aknin, and Michael I. Norton. "Prosocial Spending and Happiness: Using Money to Benefit Others Pays Off." Current Directions in Psychological Science 23, no. 1 (February 2014): 41–47.
      • 2013
      • Article

      Does Social Connection Turn Good Deeds into Good Feelings? On the Value of Putting the 'Social' in Prosocial Spending

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Gillian M. Sandstrom and Michael I. Norton
      When are the emotional benefits of generous behavior most likely to emerge? In three studies, we demonstrate that the hedonic benefits of generous spending are most likely when spending promotes positive social connection. Study 1 shows that people feel happier after...  View Details
      Keywords: Money; Prosocial Spending; Social Connection; Well-being; Donations; Charitable Giving; Warm Glow; Social Relationships; Gift Giving; Happiness; Relationships; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Society
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      Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, Gillian M. Sandstrom, and Michael I. Norton. "Does Social Connection Turn Good Deeds into Good Feelings? On the Value of Putting the 'Social' in Prosocial Spending." International Journal of Happiness and Development 1, no. 2 (2013): 155–171.
      • April 2013
      • Article

      Making a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Ashley V. Whillans, Adam M. Grant and Michael I. Norton
      When does giving lead to happiness? Here, we present two studies demonstrating that the emotional benefits of spending money on others (prosocial spending) are unleashed when givers are aware of their positive impact. In Study 1, an experiment using real...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Spending; Prosocial Impact; Subjective Well Being; Donations; Happiness; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving
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      Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, Ashley V. Whillans, Adam M. Grant, and Michael I. Norton. "Making a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 88 (April 2013): 90–95.
      • 2013
      • Article

      Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Elizabeth W. Dunn, John F. Helliwell, Justine Burns, Robert Biswas-Diener, Imelda Kemeza, Paul Nyende, Claire Ashton-James and Michael I. Norton
      This research provides the first support for a possible psychological universal: Human beings around the world derive emotional benefits from using their financial resources to help others (prosocial spending). In Study 1, survey data from 136 countries were examined...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Spending; Psychological Universal; Prosocial Behavior; Well-being; Happiness; Spending; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Canada; Uganda; South Africa; India
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      Aknin, Lara B., Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Elizabeth W. Dunn, John F. Helliwell, Justine Burns, Robert Biswas-Diener, Imelda Kemeza, Paul Nyende, Claire Ashton-James, and Michael I. Norton. "Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 104, no. 4 (April 2013): 635–652.
      • October 2012
      • Article

      Giving Time Gives You Time

      By: Cassie Mogilner, Zoe Chance and Michael I. Norton
      Four experiments reveal a counterintuitive solution to the common problem of feeling that one does not have enough time: giving some of it away. Although people's objective amount of time cannot be increased (there are only 24 hours in a day), this research...  View Details
      Keywords: Time Perception; Well-being; Volunteering; Prosocial Behavior; Helping; Time Management; Welfare
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      Mogilner, Cassie, Zoe Chance, and Michael I. Norton. "Giving Time Gives You Time." Psychological Science 23, no. 10 (October 2012): 1233–1238.
      • Article

      Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion: Evidence for a Positive Feedback Loop between Prosocial Spending and Happiness

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Michael I. Norton
      We examine whether a positive feedback loop exists between spending money on others (i.e. prosocial spending) and happiness. Participants recalled a previous purchase made for either themselves or someone else and then reported their happiness. Afterward, participants...  View Details
      Keywords: Prosocial Spending; Happiness; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving
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      Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, and Michael I. Norton. "Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion: Evidence for a Positive Feedback Loop between Prosocial Spending and Happiness." Journal of Happiness Studies 13, no. 2 (April 2012): 347–355.
      • February 2011
      • Article

      It's the Recipient That Counts: Spending Money on Strong Social Ties Leads to Greater Happiness Than Spending on Weak Social Ties

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Gillian M. Sandstrom, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Michael I. Norton
      Previous research has shown that spending money on others (prosocial spending) increases happiness. But, do the happiness gains depend on who the money is spent on? Sociologists have distinguished between strong ties with close friends and family and weak...  View Details
      Keywords: Happiness; Relationships; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving
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      Aknin, Lara B., Gillian M. Sandstrom, Elizabeth W. Dunn, and Michael I. Norton. "It's the Recipient That Counts: Spending Money on Strong Social Ties Leads to Greater Happiness Than Spending on Weak Social Ties." PLoS ONE 6, no. 2 (February 2011): e17018.
      • 2010
      • Working Paper

      Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal

      By: Lara B. Aknin, Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Elizabeth W. Dunn, John F. Helliwell, Robert Biswas-Diener, Imelda Kemeza, Paul Nyende, Claire Ashton-James and Michael I. Norton
      This research provides the first support for a possible psychological universal: human beings around the world derive emotional benefits from using their financial resources to help others (prosocial spending). Analyzing survey data from 136 countries, we show that...  View Details
      Keywords: Spending; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Happiness; Motivation and Incentives; Welfare; Uganda; Canada
      Citation
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      Aknin, Lara B., Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Elizabeth W. Dunn, John F. Helliwell, Robert Biswas-Diener, Imelda Kemeza, Paul Nyende, Claire Ashton-James, and Michael I. Norton. "Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 11-038, September 2010.
      • Research Summary

      Overview

      By: Elizabeth A. Keenan
      Professor Keenan studies barriers to and motivators of prosocial behavior, using a combination of field, laboratory, and online experimental methods. Her recent work investigates donors’ aversion to overhead spending by nonprofits, including its negative effects on the...  View Details
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