In a study from the University of Chicago, published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, researchers conducted a series of experiment to explore the impact of giving from the giver’s perspective and the receivers.

In one experiment, researchers recruited 84 participants at a park where they could either keep a cup of hot chocolate or donate to a stranger. Of the 84, 75 agreed to give away their cup of hot chocolate. Both the study participants then rated their estimation of the recipients mood based from a -5 (very negative) to a 5 (very positive) scale from receiving the gift, compared to how the recipients rated their own mood upon getting the hot chocolate. They found that the participants underestimated how the recipients would feel at an average point of 2.7, whereas the recipients rated their mood on an average of 3.5.

The authors also performed other experiments including but not limited to participants providing random acts of kindness, comparing random acts of kindness to receiving as an incentive, and how random acts of kindness to strangers affect further acts of kindness from the recipients.

In addition to underestimating how much the recipients’ mood would be lifted, the investigators also found receiving random acts of kindness lifted mood better than receiving something as payment and that random acts of kindness continued with a “pay-it-forward” effect where recipients were more generous in their own behavior after receiving random acts of kindness themselves.

When people are giving, they are focused more on the acts or gifts. Receivers, on the other hand, focus on the sentimental feelings the feel when they receive. Because givers are so focused on their end, they tend to underestimate the value of their generosity. As a result, random acts of kindness can end up being somewhat rare as they feel their acts would not make a large contribution to the receiver.

However, this study shows that our assumption about the value of generosity, whether it be goods or services, is wrong and the impacts of it are not only beneficial to the recipient, but can also continue to domino forward to other people the recipient interacts with.

A Kumar et al. “A little good goes an unexpectedly long way: Underestimating the positive impact of kindness on recipients”. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (2022). https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001271