Philanthropy vs Pleasurable Experience for Lasting Well Being

Philanthropy vs Pleasurable Experiences For Well Being

While navigating life searching for “happiness”, we all feel the gravitational pull of pleasurable experiences: dining out with friends, watching a movie with family, weekend escapes to a different city, etc….There’s nothing wrong with these fun activities but the happiness they produce are short lived. Recently while reading Martin Seligman’s book Authentic Happiness I came across his insight into how more lasting well being is achieved not through pleasure alone, but through acts of kindness and altruism. Especially acts that revolve around philanthropy.

I’ve written about the renowned Martin Seligman in the past and his leadership in the world of Positive Psychology. His studies of the mechanisms behind being happy and how we can best cultivate happiness in long lasting ways. Early in Authentic Happiness he addresses comparisons of the emotional effects of pleasurable experiences versus the emotional effects provided from helping others. The results can be useful in shaping our approach to both our professional and personal lives.

The quick and dirty of the study was this, participants were asked to engage in two types of activities: one that provided immediate pleasure (like watching a movie with friends) and the other involved a philanthropic task (like performing and act of kindness). Participants then were asked to rate their happiness and emotional state following each of these experiences.

The results showed a noticeable difference. Short term enjoyment and satisfaction followed the the pleasurable activities while the philanthropic activities led to a profound sense of fulfillment. When participants performed acts of kindness, they reported feeling significantly happier and more connected compared to when they engaged in the pure pleasurable acts. More importantly, the positive emotions generated by kindness were not short lived, they lingered, contributing to a deep sense of well being and life satisfaction.

So what’s the takeaway? Well, this research in context with the rest of Seligman’s findings showcase an essential part of human flourishing, the connection between ourselves and others and a sense of purpose. It aligns with the broader principles of Positive Psychology emphasizing the importance of meaning, social bonds, and achieving long lasting happiness. Altruistic acts are a trigger for “Helpers High” and fall into his PERMA model of well being. Specifically into the “M” for “Meaning” which suggests that engaging in activities which benefit others increases our sense of purpose and life satisfaction.

The tie to Social Workers should be easy to see. We already engage in acts of kindness, advocacy, and helping others. We often have to do this in challenging working conditions to boot. If we can learn to incorporate these insights into our own self and well being strategies we can enhance our emotion resilience and create deeper fulfillment intentionally and purposefully. We will be well equipped to combat burnout, lessen agency churn, serve our clients to the best of our ability while also setting a good example of emotional and mental health.

Let me restate that I am NOT downplaying purely pleasurable experiences. They are an important part of life and we should seek to have as many of these experiences as possible as deep into our lives as possible. I’m just saying that philanthropy (helping others and making meaningful contributions) provides long lasting and profound joy and that needs to be recognized and held in high regard.  

Book cited:

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Free Press