Folks who have read books like Arthur Brook's " Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism ," know that charity is far more likely to be associated with conservative and/or religious folks than with Liberal folks.
The following is one of the two best reasons to become conservative.....the other being Obama.
1. " Americans gave nearly $300 billion away last year, and some charities claim to collect as much as a quarter of their annual contributions in the month of December alone. But there is one special reason to give, beyond the noble goals of helping your favorite charity and beating back the voracious taxman.
It is that your gifts will give you a happier new year.
2. ... givers are happier people than non-givers. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who gave money to charity in 2000 were 43% more likely than non-givers to say they were "very happy" about their lives.
3. ... volunteers were 42% more likely to be very happy than non-volunteers. It didn't matter whether gifts of money and time went to churches or symphony orchestras givers to all types of religious and secular causes were far happier than non-givers.
4. The University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics reveals that people who gave money away in 2001 were 34% less likely than non-givers to say that they had felt "so sad that nothing could cheer them up" in the past month. They were also 68% less likely to have felt "hopeless," and 24% less likely to have said that "everything was an effort."
5. One particularly visceral kind of giving involves our blood, which a bit over 15% of Americans donate at least once each year. If anything, this kind of charity is even more strongly associated with happiness than traditional gifts..... 43% of the American adults who gave blood two to three times during the year said they were very happy versus only 29% of those who did not give blood,..
6. ... queried about their happiness before and after sometimes long after they participate in a charitable activity, such as volunteering to help children or serving meals to the poor. The result is clear that giving has a strong, positive causal impact on our happiness.... people who give often report feelings of euphoria, which psychologists have referred to as the "Helper's High."
7. The bottom line from all the research on giving is that it is not just good for your favorite cause; it's good for you, too. For relief from stress and depression, it's probably more cost-effective than whatever your doctor might prescribe. For getting a little high, it's not illegal, and a lot less fattening than booze."
Why Giving Makes You Happy - The New York Sun
Now....go out and make sure that all those around you have a Merry Christmas.
And, plan to be more conservative next year....
The following is one of the two best reasons to become conservative.....the other being Obama.
1. " Americans gave nearly $300 billion away last year, and some charities claim to collect as much as a quarter of their annual contributions in the month of December alone. But there is one special reason to give, beyond the noble goals of helping your favorite charity and beating back the voracious taxman.
It is that your gifts will give you a happier new year.
2. ... givers are happier people than non-givers. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who gave money to charity in 2000 were 43% more likely than non-givers to say they were "very happy" about their lives.
3. ... volunteers were 42% more likely to be very happy than non-volunteers. It didn't matter whether gifts of money and time went to churches or symphony orchestras givers to all types of religious and secular causes were far happier than non-givers.
4. The University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics reveals that people who gave money away in 2001 were 34% less likely than non-givers to say that they had felt "so sad that nothing could cheer them up" in the past month. They were also 68% less likely to have felt "hopeless," and 24% less likely to have said that "everything was an effort."
5. One particularly visceral kind of giving involves our blood, which a bit over 15% of Americans donate at least once each year. If anything, this kind of charity is even more strongly associated with happiness than traditional gifts..... 43% of the American adults who gave blood two to three times during the year said they were very happy versus only 29% of those who did not give blood,..
6. ... queried about their happiness before and after sometimes long after they participate in a charitable activity, such as volunteering to help children or serving meals to the poor. The result is clear that giving has a strong, positive causal impact on our happiness.... people who give often report feelings of euphoria, which psychologists have referred to as the "Helper's High."
7. The bottom line from all the research on giving is that it is not just good for your favorite cause; it's good for you, too. For relief from stress and depression, it's probably more cost-effective than whatever your doctor might prescribe. For getting a little high, it's not illegal, and a lot less fattening than booze."
Why Giving Makes You Happy - The New York Sun
Now....go out and make sure that all those around you have a Merry Christmas.
And, plan to be more conservative next year....
