Is it better to receive a Christmas gift or to give a Christmas gift?

In my opinion, whenever I do something nice for someone I feel good about myself. I feel a sense of happiness because I made someone else happy. Especially in today’s world with the pandemic going on and a lot of negative emotions running rampid, it can feel good to have a boost of good emotions. Don’t get me wrong it feels great to receive a well thought out gift and it can make someone’s day.

It still can’t compete with the feeling after giving someone else a gift. 

There was a study done by Harvard Business School that found that there is an emotional benefit to giving gifts…when you give a gift, the parts of your brain that “come alive” are that of pleasure, social connections, and trust. 

The social benefits are great too; after receiving a gift from someone you are more likely to feel a connection with that person. Giving a gift also increases the chance that someone else will see your kindness and want to repay you back.

So this holiday I encourage you to give as many gifts as you can.