Have a Very Merry Christmas – Give to Others
Christmas is the time of presents, however what many people don’t realize, or at least are beginning to realize is that it truly is better to ‘give than it is to receive’. Comprehensive studies on gifting show that when it comes to gifts giving makes us happier than receiving (Dunn, Aknin and Norton (2008).
Related to this I wonder if people are rapidly becoming less commercial and consumerism focused as they quickly realize that an ever increasing number of possessions are not likely to make us happier. There is a flood of information coming into the market (mainly through positive psychology) demonstrating the relationship between happiness and consumerism. And although it’s difficult to pull apart casual effects the research tends to suggest that being less consumer focused is a sure fire way to stoke up our happiness quotient.
Further, research on those who enjoy Christmas the most (Kasser and Sheldon, 2002) shows that those who focus on family, friends, and the religious elements of Christmas have a happier experience than those who focus on the spending and consumerism. So this year we see the retailers complaining that it’s their worst Christmas in years. Retail spending is at an all time low we hear. I wonder then if that means on balance this will be the happiest Christmas for some time.
