The Joy of Giving: What Science Says About Why It Feels So Good

Featuring The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

This week isn’t just the start of the holiday season — it’s also Giving Tuesday, a global moment that asks us to pause, look around, and invest in something bigger than ourselves. So it’s the perfect time to highlight the newest episode of The Happiness Lab, where Dr. Laurie Santos breaks down something simple, profound, and scientifically proven:

Giving makes us happier — and not in the “holiday-card cliché” way.
In the neuroscience and psychology of wellbeing way.

In the episode, Dr. Santos explores how generosity, kindness, and sharing resources (even tiny ones) activate parts of the brain tied to pleasure, connection, and long-term fulfillment. And here’s the twist: you don’t need a lot of money, time, or emotional bandwidth to feel these effects. The research shows that the smallest act of giving can change your entire mood and sense of meaning.

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Why this matters for +wellvyl

Social wellness isn’t just about who we hang out with — it’s about how we exist in the world with each other. How we make others feel. How we build community. How we show up for strangers or friends or causes that matter.

Generosity is one of the most powerful social rituals humans have.
It creates belonging.
It strengthens bonds.
It moves us out of isolation and into connection.
It reminds us that we matter — not for what we earn or achieve, but for what we contribute.

And during December, a month full of emotional highs and lows, giving is one of the most grounding practices available to us.

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Why this episode hits especially hard on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is literally built around the idea that the world feels better when we give — and that people feel better themselves when they do it. Dr. Santos helps demystify this: it’s not moral pressure, it’s neuroscience.

Giving Tuesday is your permission slip to:

• donate $5
• volunteer 20 minutes
• send a kindness note
• share a resource
• support a community
• amplify someone else’s voice
• make someone’s day easier

You don’t need a grand gesture. You just need a moment of intention.

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The +wellvyl takeaway

If you’re feeling disconnected or overwhelmed heading into the holidays, try flipping the script: instead of waiting for joy, give some away first. Dr. Santos shows that joy comes back, scientifically and emotionally.

Start small.
Try something today.
Do it for someone you care about — or someone you don’t even know.

Because joy doesn’t just happen.
Joy circulates.
And the fastest way to feel more connected this season… is to give something that matters to someone else.

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