Thanks to the Thankful

Thanks should go to the thankful for their thankless giving.

That’s because the thankful seem to give more, and to give more thanklessly. This is the case, according to new research, even when those to whom the thankful wish to give their thanks aren’t there to be thanked.

In other words, according to Newswise, “When it comes to money, the more grateful we are, the more likely we are to give on behalf of the greater good.”

The study, conducted by researchers at Northeastern University, created a situation in which one of two groups of volunteers were made to feel grateful for the help provided by a "peer" (actually a member of the research team). Later, both groups of volunteers played a game that asked players to weigh financial self-interest against the needs of the group.

Intriguingly, individuals who were part the grateful group gave away 25 percent more money than the control group. In the long run, this lead to a greater shared profit by the players. According to the researchers, thankfulness led to increased generosity "regardless of whether they had ever met the people with whom they were playing the game, indicating that their giving was not a simple function of liking or feeling a debt toward others."

While this single study is not enough to draw any serious conclusions, it does lead to some interesting thoughts. For example, are "random acts of kindness" truly the key to altruism? Are we all philanthropists under the skin?

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