Paying taxes and donating to charity may make you feel good
Eugene - Every year it seems everyone gripes about dishing out a little more to Uncle Sam. But when it comes to digging deeper to donate to charity people are pretty giving this time of year. Well what if we told you the two, might be related?
Whether donating money or in some cases even paying for taxes, University of Oregon professors say some folks are just happy to pay.
Donations to the Salvation Army come in all forms, but why do people give?
"I don't know if it gives me a great thrill when I give a buck or something compared with other donations a person can make," says Randy Bryson as he donates money.
Well it actually turns out that what you put in here might affect how you feel in your brain, at least that's what University of Oregon researchers have to say.
"Giving away money actually does make you to some degree happy," says Ulrich Mayr, a U of O Professor of psychology.
To find that out, Professors Mayr and Bill Harbaugh gave 20 women $100. As Harbaugh showed us they went through this scanner and were asked questions about donating to charities.
"The subjects could make decisions about whether or not to give part of that money away and giving away meant the money went to Food For Lane County," says Mayr.
They were also asked about money taken away in-voluntarily like a tax, but still given to a charity. What they found in both cases people literally lit up.
"People's reward areas, mid-brain area's signaled people had some degree of satisfaction when that happened," shows Mayr. And these professors say there's a link between those that enjoy giving to charity and in some cases giving to taxes.
"People whose reward areas respond strongly when money goes to charity even though you have nothing to do with it, are also those people who happily give money when they have a chance to do so," says Mayr.
Which these professors say will benefit everyone. "There's benefit to the recipients and benefits to the givers," says Harbaugh.
In their next study they'll look at both genders and all ages to determine why people give more as they get older.
Whether donating money or in some cases even paying for taxes, University of Oregon professors say some folks are just happy to pay.
Donations to the Salvation Army come in all forms, but why do people give?
"I don't know if it gives me a great thrill when I give a buck or something compared with other donations a person can make," says Randy Bryson as he donates money.
Well it actually turns out that what you put in here might affect how you feel in your brain, at least that's what University of Oregon researchers have to say.
"Giving away money actually does make you to some degree happy," says Ulrich Mayr, a U of O Professor of psychology.
To find that out, Professors Mayr and Bill Harbaugh gave 20 women $100. As Harbaugh showed us they went through this scanner and were asked questions about donating to charities.
"The subjects could make decisions about whether or not to give part of that money away and giving away meant the money went to Food For Lane County," says Mayr.
They were also asked about money taken away in-voluntarily like a tax, but still given to a charity. What they found in both cases people literally lit up.
"People's reward areas, mid-brain area's signaled people had some degree of satisfaction when that happened," shows Mayr. And these professors say there's a link between those that enjoy giving to charity and in some cases giving to taxes.
"People whose reward areas respond strongly when money goes to charity even though you have nothing to do with it, are also those people who happily give money when they have a chance to do so," says Mayr.
Which these professors say will benefit everyone. "There's benefit to the recipients and benefits to the givers," says Harbaugh.
In their next study they'll look at both genders and all ages to determine why people give more as they get older.
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