Giving Is Good for You: How and Why Philanthropy Benefits the Donor
By Sharmila Rao Thakkar, MPH, MPA, CAP®
As Indian American families across the United States prepare for India Giving Day, many are reflecting not only on where to give, but also why. Traditions such as seva, daan, and zakat have long framed generosity as responsibility, reciprocity, and care for community.
What a growing body of modern research now makes clear is that generosity does not only benefit recipients or causes. When practiced intentionally and consistently, giving – of time, talent, treasure, ties, or testimony – measurably strengthens the emotional, social, physical, and even professional well-being of the giver.
Across neuroscience, psychology, public health, and social science, research consistently links intentional generosity to:
Higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction
Stronger social connection and sense of belonging
Greater meaning, identity, and sense of purpose
Lower stress and improved physical health
Enhanced leadership skills and professional engagement over time
As we enter a new year, the question isn’t whether giving matters, but how we can build generosity into our lives in ways that are sustainable, values-aligned, evidence-informed, and joyful. The sections that follow explore how these benefits show up across emotional well-being, social connection, leadership and professional life, and health over the life course.
Emotional Well-Being, Purpose, and Meaning
Giving is often associated with “feeling good,” but research shows that the emotional benefits of generosity are real, measurable, and enduring – especially when generosity becomes a regular practice rather than a one-time act. Across large-scale surveys, longitudinal studies, and neuroscience research, giving and volunteering are consistently associated with improved mental health, greater life satisfaction, and a stronger sense of purpose.
Preliminary findings from an ongoing multi-year study by Cornell University’s Purpose and Identity Process Lab (2019–2025) find that individuals who regularly contribute time or resources to others report higher life satisfaction and sustained increases in happiness than those whose spending is primarily self-focused.
Analyses of the General Social Survey (NORC at the University of Chicago) show that 43% of people who volunteer at least once a week describe themselves as “very happy,” compared with 29% of those who volunteer less than once a year—a difference observed consistently across survey waves.
According to the Gallup World Poll, drawing on responses from more than 200,000 people globally, donating to charity in the past month is more strongly associated with life satisfaction than household income in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, and Australia.
Longitudinal studies and meta-analyses published in Psychology and Aging, Social Science & Medicine, and the Journal of Health and Social Behavior find that people who volunteer experience 10–20% lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher life satisfaction than non-volunteers, even after controlling for income, education, baseline health, and social connectedness.
Research summarized by AmeriCorps (Corporation for National and Community Service) shows that volunteering regularly – about 100 hours per year, or roughly two hours per week – is associated with approximately 30% fewer symptoms of depression and significantly stronger emotional and social well-being than among those who volunteer less or not at all.
National surveys analyzed by the Pew Research Center (American Trends Panel) find that adults who regularly give to charitable or religious causes are significantly more likely to report a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life, with roughly 70-75% of frequent givers reporting a clear sense of purpose compared with about 50-55% of infrequent or non-givers.
Data from the Gallup U.S. Well-Being Index and World Poll show that people who report helping others or donating money in the past month are 20-30 percentage points more likely to describe themselves as “thriving” rather than “struggling” in overall life evaluation, and that those who see generosity as part of “who they are” score higher on long-term measures of purpose and life satisfaction.
Neuroscience research by Paul Zak, a pioneer in neuroeconomics, Jorge Moll, a leading social neuroscientist, and Russell James, a widely cited scholar of philanthropic behavior, published in journals including PNAS and PLoS ONE, shows that acts of generosity activate the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and oxytocin – chemicals linked to pleasure, trust, connection, and emotional bonding.
Longitudinal studies show that individuals with a strong sense of purpose are 30-40 percent less likely to experience major declines in life satisfaction following stressful life events such as job loss or health challenges. Because values-aligned giving is a key pathway through which people report developing purpose, generosity is consistently linked to greater resilience and adaptability over time.
This research suggests that generosity offers more than a momentary “warm glow.” Unlike the temporary boost of a purchase, the emotional benefits of giving compound over time – reinforcing happiness, resilience, identity, and long-term well-being. Giving becomes not just something people do, but part of who they are – shaping how individuals understand their role in the world and contributing to well-being across the life course.
Social Connection, Belonging, and Finding Your People
Social connection is not simply about avoiding loneliness; it is about belonging – feeling seen, needed, and connected to others who share values and interests. This matters because many of the institutions that once created built-in community – religious congregations, neighborhood associations, civic clubs, even bowling leagues – have declined. This is especially important in light of the fact that large-scale meta-analyses summarized by Holt-Lunstad and colleagues in Perspectives on Psychological Science, drawing on more than 70 studies and more than 3.4 million participants, find that loneliness and social isolation carry mortality risks comparable to smoking and obesity. Given this, these findings are noteworthy:
National service surveys summarized by AmeriCorps indicate that nearly 70% of volunteers report feeling less isolated as a result of their service.
Decades of research on social capital, including Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, document the long-term decline of civic and communal institutions in the United States, helping explain why volunteering increasingly serves as a primary pathway into community.
Beyond the data, this shows up in lived experience. Many people describe volunteering as how they built community after a move, navigated a life transition, or connected with others who care about the same issues. In this way, generosity becomes not only something we give outwardly, but a pathway into belonging itself.
Giving – whether through time, talent, treasure, ties or testimony – strengthens relationships and reinforces trust. In a world where loneliness and disconnection are rising, giving offers a powerful antidote – creating shared purpose and belonging, reinforcing the idea that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
Leadership, Skills, and Professional Life
The benefits of giving back extend beyond personal well-being into leadership and professional life – particularly in senior and professional contexts where credibility, trust, and networks matter. Volunteering builds transferable skills such as strategic thinking, governance, collaboration, and communication. It also expands social capital, introducing people to new networks, perspectives, and opportunities that often extend well beyond the nonprofit itself.
The Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey found that more than 80% of hiring managers are more likely to choose candidates with volunteer experience, citing leadership, teamwork, and initiative.
Longitudinal research summarized in Social Science & Medicine shows that unemployed individuals who volunteer are approximately 27% more likely to reenter the workforce than those who do not.
AmeriCorps data indicate that roughly 80% of volunteers gain job-relevant skills, 60% report improved leadership abilities, and more than 70% expand their professional networks through service.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant, in his book Give and Take, finds that individuals who practice thoughtful, reciprocal generosity – “otherish givers” – tend to build stronger professional networks, earn greater trust, and accumulate reputational capital over time.
This research suggests that generosity, when practiced with intention and boundaries, functions not as a distraction from professional life, but as a source of credibility, trust, and long-term influence. For many donors, volunteering becomes a way to stay engaged, relevant, and influential across different stages of life and career.
Physical Health, Longevity, and Aging
The benefits of giving extend into physical health and longevity, as well, particularly as people age. Long-term studies link sustained volunteering to lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, improved immune function, and lower mortality.
Longitudinal studies summarized in Psychology and Aging find that older adults who volunteer as little as 40 hours per year are associated with a 24% lower risk of mortality compared with non-volunteers.
Research published in Psychology and Aging also shows that older adults who volunteer at least 200 hours annually are 40% less likely to develop high blood pressure over a four-year period than those who did not volunteer.
Experimental studies published in Social Science & Medicine find that giving behaviors are associated with lower cortisol levels, a stress hormone linked to chronic disease, inflammation, and long-term health risk.
A 2025 study published in Social Science & Medicine reports that adults age 62 and older who volunteer show slower epigenetic (biological) aging across cognitive, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems, even after controlling for baseline health. Benefits appear even with modest volunteering and are strongest among retirees who volunteer more consistently.
Notably, research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that older adults in the lowest wealth quintile often experience greater health gains from volunteering than those in the highest, underscoring that these benefits are not limited to the affluent.
It is reasonable to ask whether happier or healthier people are simply more likely to volunteer. While no single study can fully disentangle cause and effect, the consistency of findings across longitudinal, experimental, and biologically based research strengthens the conclusion that sustained helping behaviors actively contribute to improved health, resilience, and well-being over time.
Retirement, Purpose, and Meaning
This connection becomes especially important in retirement. Leaving the workforce often means losing structure, identity, and daily contribution. Without something meaningful to replace that sense of purpose, well-being can suffer. Volunteering, mentoring, caregiving, and community leadership offer ways to remain connected to something larger than oneself. For many retirees, the initial motivation is FOEC – fear of an empty calendar. What sustains engagement, however, is belonging, mutual aid, and the knowledge that one’s presence matters. The essential question becomes not how busy are you, but do you have something you look forward to that makes you feel useful and connected?
Why This Moment Matters
Taken together, the research reframes generosity and giving back not as sacrifice, but as a practice that shapes not only the world around us, but how we experience our own lives. It strengthens emotional well-being, supports physical health, deepens social connection, builds leadership capacity, and reinforces purpose across the life course.
As this new year gets underway and the fourth India Giving Day campaign builds towards its culmination, the invitation is not simply to give more, but to give in ways that are intentional, values-aligned, and sustaining—recognizing that giving benefits others and ourselves in ways that extend far beyond any single gift.
India Giving Day, a collaborative fundraising effort involving 51 nonprofit organizations on March 13, 2026, invites us to deepen our own giving practices and to encourage others to do the same. Simply sharing this article about the benefits donors receive from giving can be a compelling first step.
About the Author
Sharmila Rao Thakkar is an independent philanthropic advisor who works with social impact organizations, foundations, individual donors and multigenerational families on grantmaking strategy, governance, operations, and multi-generation engagement. She has a particular passion for helping leaders align their time, talent, treasure, ties and testimony with their vision and values; supporting start-up and transitioning organizations; and amplifying South Asian diaspora giving. Previously, she has led a family foundation, served as executive director of a nonprofit capacity building organization and crisis coalition, and worked in health communications. She has also held leadership roles on numerous boards and committees focused on women and children, immigrant communities, education, public health, and building philanthropic leadership. Sharmila holds an MPH from the Columbia University School of Public Health, an MPA from the Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs, and a BA in International Relations from Brown University.
The author would like to thank the following individuals for their valuable feedback on draft versions of this article: Kris Cafaro, Alex Counts, Rohit Menezes, Girish Pendse, Poonam Prasad, and Sridhar Prasad.
References
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