New study: Giving makes you happy

What inspires humans to display acts of generosity? Economists, psychologists and philosophers have pondered this question for millennia…

The real answer, a study suggested Tuesday, may be much simpler: Giving makes us happy.

Scientists conducted an experiment with 50 people at a lab in Zurich who reported on their own happiness levels after acts of generosity. Consistently, they indicated that giving was a feel-good experience. 

At the same time, MRI scans revealed that an area of the brain linked to generosity triggered a response in another part related to happiness.