So, should charities remind people that donating will make them happy?
I worry that this might actually have the opposite effect.
There was a time when I helped people due to an explicit goal to feel good about myself, and less because I cared about them. Over time, it changed to me helping them because I wanted to. But before it did, I actually got very little satisfaction out of helping them, because I knew I was just doing it for selfish reasons. I remember complaining about this to someone.
Interesting. So it’s essentially a Catch-22? You will feel happier if you donate, but only if you don’t do it to feel happier. If this is true, wouldn’t advertising the happiness aspect hurt donations?
I worry that this might actually have the opposite effect.
There was a time when I helped people due to an explicit goal to feel good about myself, and less because I cared about them. Over time, it changed to me helping them because I wanted to. But before it did, I actually got very little satisfaction out of helping them, because I knew I was just doing it for selfish reasons. I remember complaining about this to someone.
Interesting. So it’s essentially a Catch-22? You will feel happier if you donate, but only if you don’t do it to feel happier. If this is true, wouldn’t advertising the happiness aspect hurt donations?
Either way, it seems easily testable.