There are just a few days left to recommend someone for the Abu Dhabi Awards, as nominations close on Saturday. The vision behind this honour is "to celebrate the spirit of selflessness and giving in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, where humanity and goodness are always cherished". While real generosity is its own reward, it is still nice to publicly recognise those selfless people who are productive and consistent in improving the lives of others and making positive contributions to our society. Gratitude and generosity form a virtuous cycle that improves the well-being of all involved.
Generosity has many beautiful faces, one of which is pro-social spending.
Numerous studies have found that pro-social spending leads to higher levels of happiness than personal spending.
Beyond financial generosity, research repeatedly confirms that the tendency to give to others, be it time, energy or concern, is associated with higher levels of subjective well-being.
Beyond psychological health, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health even reports a link between generosity and a reduced risk of early death. This situation is what we call the generosity paradox. In other words, being generous can also be viewed as a form of self-interest.
As if the winners of the Abu Dhabi Award had not already been rewarded enough – improved health and happiness – we now single them out to show our appreciation for their generous service to our society. Nothing accompanies generosity better than gratitude, and showing appreciation for the service of others also appears to be good for our well-being.
A review article published in Clinical Psychology Review concluded that gratitude was strongly related to well-being and that there was some evidence that this might be a causal relationship. There is now work under way to develop and test interventions designed to foster gratitude as a means of treating and preventing clinical depression.
Sincerity, however, is also a vital component in the generosity-gratitude equation and we have to be careful not to overlook it. If we are only generous because we believe it is going to boost our personal happiness, is that actual generosity? Similarly, if we spend our day gushing with long-winded and elaborate "thank yous" for the sake of getting a positivity boost, is that gratitude? I suggest not.
Some well-intentioned well-being gurus have started encouraging us to be generous and show gratitude for the sake of our own happiness. They vigorously exhort us to thank everyone and give freely of our time and resources. The underlying rationale behind this call to generosity and gratitude is that acts of kindness are a means of reducing our own stress levels and boosting our personal happiness. In this model of calculated generosity-gratitude, happiness and health are no longer incidental by products of our gratitude and good deeds; they become ends in themselves.
In our pursuit of well-being, it is important that the right things are not done for the wrong reasons. Greed for anything, whether it's health, well-being or happiness, is still just greed – no more, no less.
I'm sure that the winners of the Abu Dhabi Awards are not calculating, self-interested, well-being enthusiasts. They are, as the award suggests, individuals who are selflessly committed to giving and improving the lives of others. The key word here is selfless: "concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own".
Given the UAE's status as a world leader in philanthropy, receiving an Abu Dhabi Award is no mean feat. It is almost akin to being selected for the Brazilian football squad or qualifying to run the 5,000 metres for Kenya in the Olympics – you have to be magnificent.
Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor at Zayed University
On Twitter: @DrJustinThomas
