Givers are happier people than non-givers.

According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who gave money to charity were 43% more likely than non-givers to say they were "very happy" about their lives.

People who give also are less sad and depressed than non-givers.

The University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics reveals that people who gave money away were 34% less likely than non-givers to say that they had felt "so sad that nothing could cheer them up" in the past month. They were also 68% less likely to have felt "hopeless," and 24% less likely to have said that "everything was an effort."

The happiness difference between givers and non-givers is not due to differences in their personal characteristics, such as income or religion.

Imagine two people who are identical in terms of income and faith - as well as age, education, politics, sex, and family circumstances - but one donates money and volunteers, while the other does not. The giver will be, on average, 11 percentage points more likely to be very happy than the non-giver.

GIVE NOW - BE HAPPY!