Giving Generates Happiness: Overcoming Barriers to Kindness

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "How to Change" by Katy Milkman - This book explores the science of behavior change and how to make lasting improvements in your life.

People Mentioned

• Tim Harford (Host of Cautionary Tales, Journalist, Economist) - Shared a personal story about receiving an unexpected act of kindness in Cameroon, which challenged his assumptions about human behavior.
• John Green (Author and YouTube star) - Collaborated with GiveDirectly and The Happiness Lab to raise money to fight tuberculosis, demonstrating the impact of collective small donations.
• JR Martinez (Host of Medal of Honor podcast, Army veteran, Actor) - Shared a personal story about receiving a life-changing gift of a puppy, Romeo, which helped him heal from his military injuries.
• Michael Lewis (Bestselling author of "Moneyball" and "The Blind Side," host of the podcast "Against the Rules") - Discussed his strategy of carrying $10 bills to give to people who ask for money, and the positive feelings he derives from this act.
• Maya Shankar (Host of "A Slight Change of Plans," Psychologist, former Yale student of Dr. Laurie Santos) - Shared a personal story from her childhood about being bullied and how an act of kindness from a peer (Adrian) transformed her experience and inspired her to stand up for others later in life.
• Adrian (Childhood friend of Maya Shankar) - Stood up for Maya when she was being bullied, demonstrating the powerful impact of advocacy and kindness.
• Noah (College peer of Maya Shankar) - Was supported by Maya when he was being bullied due to his mental health struggles, showing the ripple effect of kindness.
• Katy Milkman (Professor at the Wharton School, Host of the podcast "Choiceology") - A behavioral scientist who discussed why people procrastinate on acts of giving and how to overcome those barriers, emphasizing the "hot state" of motivation.
• Amanda Chuan (Professor at Michigan State) - Led research on the timing of donation requests and their effectiveness, showing that immediate asks after a positive experience are more successful.
• Judd Kessler (Colleague of Katy Milkman) - Collaborated on research regarding the timing of donation requests in a hospital setting.
• Avery Miller (Aerospace Engineer) - Shared her story of being inspired to pursue a career in science by Dr. Laurie Santos at a young age, highlighting the long-term impact of encouragement and kind words.
• Sally Ride - Mentioned by Avery Miller as a role model, indicating her aspiration to be an astronaut.
• Albert Einstein - Quoted for his idea that if you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well enough.
• Cal Penn (Audiobook host) - Co-hosts "Earsay" podcast.
• Ed Helms (Audiobook host) - Co-hosts "Earsay" podcast.
• Rainn Wilson (Actor and Podcaster) - Will be a guest on an upcoming episode of The Happiness Lab.

Organizations & Institutions

• GiveDirectly - A non-profit organization that provides direct cash transfers to people in extreme poverty, which is the focus of The Happiness Lab's "Pods Fight Poverty" campaign.
• BBC - Tim Harford's former employer, where he worked as a journalist.
• University of Pennsylvania's Hospital System - The institution from which Katy Milkman and her colleagues gathered data for their research on charitable giving.
• The Wharton School - Where Katy Milkman is a professor.
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Where Hengchen Dai, a collaborator on Katy Milkman's "fresh start effect" research, is based.
• World Science Festival - A multimedia science education organization that hosts an annual event in New York City to make science accessible; where Dr. Laurie Santos met Avery Miller.

Courses & Educational Resources

• Pods Fight Poverty Campaign (Hashtag: #pods_fight_poverty) - A charitable giving campaign organized by The Happiness Lab and other podcasts to raise money for GiveDirectly to fight poverty.

Websites & Online Resources

• givedirectly.org/happinesslab - The direct link to donate to the Pods Fight Poverty campaign through The Happiness Lab.

Other Resources

• "Moral Elevation" (Psychological concept) - Discussed by Maya Shankar as the warm, fuzzy feeling experienced when witnessing extraordinary acts of kindness, courage, or self-sacrifice, which can change one's brain and imagination about human capabilities.
• "Fresh Start Effect" (Psychological concept) - Mentioned by Katy Milkman as a phenomenon where people are more motivated to make changes in their lives at certain temporal landmarks (e.g., new year, birthdays).