Generosity with Time and Money

Yale School of Management, Harvard Business School, & The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Zo Chance, Michael I. Norton, & Cassie Mogilner

Introduction
Helping benefits helpers

Time
Giving time increases subjective time
30 mins future time perspective (1-7)

Money
Giving money increases subjective wealth
Will you pledge $5 of your winnings to help Emily get a seizure alert dog?
I will donate $5 subjective wealth (1-7) I will keep the entire $25 4 pledge $15K annual income givers > 5 4 3 2 1 S E L instead of * O T 2 mos. younger

Conclusions
Giving time or money can lead to ironic feelings of subjective abundance, despite leaving the giver with objectively less of those resources Givers infer abundance when giving time makes them feel effective; or when giving money makes them feel powerful efficacy/ power
G
C 2 T R I V E ?

Volunteers live longer (Musick, et al., 1999)

Sometime today, please spend 30 minutes doing something for someone else that you werent planning to do.

H
E R

keepers >
3

time on others

time on self

Acts of kindness increase happiness (Boehm, Lyubomirsky & Sheldon, 2008)

Donating increases happiness (Dunn, Aknin & Norton, 2008)

Time on Gave e.g. My future seems infinite to me. Self Time

Lang & Carstensen 2002

e.g. I am well-off.
Adapted from Gallup Poll of FWB

giving

subjective abundance

Through inferences drawn from behavior as much as getting free time. And increases productivity
leave 15 mins early spend 15 mins helping intention to spend time on future studies

Subjective wealth

as much as winning money. But doesnt increase spending.

win lose give subjective wealth brand prefs

Feel pressed for time, or strapped for cash?

Give time or money away.

perceived spare time

Bem, 1972 Kellerman, et al., 1989

3
spare time (-5 to +5)

Giving them what they want most

What one thing, more than anything else, would you like to feel you had more of in your life?

References
1. Bem, DJ (1972) Self-perception theory, in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (6), L. Berkowitz (ed.), NY: Academic Press, 1-62. GET GIVE

1 -1 -3
$1.50
5 45 * minutes of surveys 30
p=.07 G

$2.69
60% 50% 40%

45 minutes of surveys

subjective wealth (1-7)

national brand choices

intended to spend

actually spent 1 week later 4

2. Boehm, JK, S Lyubomirsky, & KM Sheldon (2008) Spicing up kindness: The role of variety in the effects of practicing kindness on improvements in mood, happiness, and self-evaluations. Manuscript in preparation. 3. Chance, Z & MI Norton (2012) I give, therefore, I have: Philanthropy and subjective wealth, under review. 4. Dunn, EW, LB Aknin, MI Norton (2008) Spending money on others promotes happiness, Science, 319, 1687-1688. 5. Kellerman, J, J Lewis, & JD Laird (1989) Looking and loving: The effects of mutual gaze on feelings of romantic love, Journal of Research in Personality, 23, 145-161. 6. Lang, FR, & LL Carstensen (2002) Time counts: Future time perspective, goals and social relationships. Psychology and Aging, 17, 125139. 7. Mogilner, C, Z Chance, & MI Norton (forthcoming) Giving time gives you time, Psychological Science. 8. Musick, MA, AR Herzog, & JS House (1999) Volunteering and mortality among older adults: Findings from a national sample, Journal of Gerontology, 54B, S173-180.

30
G

L W O S E I N

G I V E
30% 20% 10%

L G

15

G E T

I V

15

G E T

I
V E

Get Time Give Time

Get Time Give Time

W O I I S V N E E

zoe.chance@yale.edu