Giving from the heart (Aniwhite / Shutterstock.com)
Giving to charity is one of the most foremost ways to help people around us – and in today's day and age it means we can assist those in need both near and far. Americans give an average of three percent of their total income to charitable organizations every year, with the bulk of donations made over the holiday period. These details are hardly surprising – most of us are familiar with fundraising drives, online campaigns and the main charities. But did you know that people with less actually tend to give more? Or which country tends to donate the most? Read on to discover more about this most generous of topics.
1. GIVING IS ON THE RISE
The past decade has seen a massive jump in generosity, according to recent research. Between 2001 and 2011, giving around the world grew a whopping 240%.
Generosity is all the rage (cabania /Shutterstock.com)
2. GIVING MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD
Giving money to someone else actually makes you feel better than spending it on yourself, according to research from the Harvard Business School. Participants in the study actually predicted the opposite, but the results were overwhelming.
Make someone else happy, make yourself happy (mimagephotography /Shutterstock.com)
3. PEOPLE WHO EARN LESS, GIVE MORE
People in the lower and middle income brackets dig deep, according to IRS data. In fact, the research found that the less someone earns, the more likely they are to give money to help others.
Giving more (stocksolutions / Shutterstock.com)
4. GIVING IS CONTAGIOUS
Scientific research has found that giving creates a ripple effect of good doing, encouraging others to behave generously as well. In fact, the research found that the spread of positive impact functions exponentially – kind of like a social network. So your one act of generosity could end up encouraging hundreds of people to do the same.
The ripple effect of giving ( WhiteJack / Shutterstock.com)
5. AUSTRALIANS LOVE GIVING
A poll on global trends in giving found Australia to be the most generous country in the world, with over two thirds of the population regularly making donations. Ireland came in as the second most giving country, and Canada third.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! (Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com)
