Regarding relatedness, “we found that individuals garner more happiness from pro-social spending when giving provides the opportunity to connect with other people,” they write. They find a likely answer in self-determination theory, which states that “human well-being depends upon the satisfaction of three basic needs: relatedness, competence, and autonomy.” Under the right circumstances, giving money can meet all three. So under what specific circumstances does this positive dynamic occur? The researchers concede that other evidence suggests giving to others does not automatically increase happiness. Aknin looked at data for 136 countries, and found “a significant relationship between giving and happiness” in 120 of them, “poor and rich alike.” What’s more, this relationship does not seem to be exclusive to the U.S. Toddlers just under the age of two “exhibited more happiness” when they gave away goldfish crackers to a puppet character, compared to when they received the snacks themselves. They also point to a 2012 study, co-authored by Aknin, which found evidence that even young children feel happiness giving to others.
![spent money on others spent money on others](https://i.redd.it/spgfhpod13c21.png)
“That evening, people who had been assigned to spend the money on someone else reported happier moods over the course of the day than did those people assigned to spend the money on themselves,” they report.