Generosity is often thought of as selfless, giving is greater than receiving and all of those wonderful sayings. Yet people who give more do get something – they get marked increases in self esteem.
People with high self esteem tend to be more generous, and vice versa. By being more generous, they get higher self esteem.
A study of people who had donated bone marrow found that the donors believed that they were expressing a core character trait – generosity – when donating and felt good about that. They had higher self esteem.
So – if you want to get happier? Give more. Time, thought, care and engagement. All of these things increase your personal presence as well as making you feel great!