Direct Cash Transfers and Kindness Maximize Happiness and Societal Impact

Key Quotes

"Giving Tuesday is the global holiday of charitable giving it falls right in the midst of our shopping frenzy a day that's not about commerce but compassion here at the happiness lab we tend to make a big deal out of giving tuesday every year we share a special episode that explores why doing good for others is super good for our own happiness."

Dr. Laurie Santos explains that Giving Tuesday is a significant global event focused on charitable giving, contrasting it with the commercialism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. She highlights that the Happiness Lab podcast dedicates an episode each year to this day, emphasizing the personal happiness benefits derived from altruistic actions.

"I made a decision to always carry a bunch of 10 bills with me so that if I see anybody who asks me for money I just automatically give them 10 people on the streets so I started doing it so how does it feel so it is completely true that when you give something to someone else you feel good totally feels good but years ago when I was working on the blind side the christian family the dad and the family said to me something in passing about giving that I'd never been able to get out of my head when I hit a little bump in my mind about giving it's a touchdown for me and it's if it doesn't hurt a little bit you haven't given enough."

Michael Lewis describes his new practice of carrying $10 bills to give to people asking for money on the street, noting the immediate positive feeling it generates. He recalls advice from the father of the Christian family, subject of his book "The Blind Side," suggesting that giving should involve a slight discomfort to be truly meaningful, a principle he now incorporates into his own actions.

"I remember there was this one girl in my neighborhood named adrian and we were on the school bus the school bus was brutal because like a lot of the kids didn't want to sit next to me so it was a whole thing it's like we'd rather sit five in a seat rather than sit next to maya you know kids are terrible right so i remember some kids were saying some nasty things to me and adrian stood up and was like all of you guys just shut up maya is awesome i just remember those words in little kid maya's brain were transformative like i had a transcendent experience in that moment and i just remember being so moved by the fact that she was willing to stand up and say these things in front of the people that i was really scared by."

Dr. Maya Shankar recounts a childhood experience of being bullied and the profound impact of a peer named Adrian who defended her on the school bus. Dr. Shankar explains that Adrian's courageous act of telling the bullies to "shut up" and declaring "Maya is awesome" was transformative for her, providing a sense of validation and support during a difficult time.

"I spent over an hour after that panel sitting on stage talking with kids about my work and one of those kids was an eager little girl named avery so i went up and i think i told you all about how i wanted to be an astronaut and how i wanted to go to mit because you know growing up in boston if you want to do science you want to go to mit and we didn't have anything for you to sign except for the back of the ticket on the email my mom printed out so you signed it i have it here if you want to see it oh my gosh with like a monkey drawing that's amazing so i drew monkeys on it as you can see which i'm sure my mom told me not to but you wrote have fun at mit love lori and i was like this is the coolest thing ever a scientist thinks i can be a scientist we framed it and then i put it on my desk and then i guess i never moved it off my desk."

Dr. Laurie Santos recalls interacting with a young Avery Miller after a science panel, where Avery expressed her aspiration to become an astronaut and attend MIT. Dr. Santos signed a ticket for Avery, writing "Have fun at MIT," which Avery kept as a constant reminder and inspiration throughout her academic journey, framing it on her desk.

"So one of the things I think that teaches us about giving is generally when we are remembering when we're in that hot state when we realize how good it will make us feel like take action right away don't let that moment slip and I think more similarly in in so many parts of your life like when you're feeling gratitude to someone or when you've had a really positive experience and you want to make sure you don't forget to tell someone you know you are a great professor lori and I'm so grateful for this thing you did or you know thank you for mentoring me um whatever it is express that gratitude immediately because you're going to forget if you let the moment pass."

Katy Milkman advises acting immediately on charitable impulses or feelings of gratitude, likening it to a "hot state" of motivation that can decay over time. She explains that delaying these actions, whether it's donating to a cause or expressing thanks to someone, can lead to forgetfulness and a missed opportunity to experience the positive emotional benefits.