by Katie Ostgren
Dr. Arthur C. Brooks is a social scientist, a professor at the Harvard Business School, a podcast host, and a bestselling author. He’s also a devout Roman Catholic. For decades, Brooks has studied the tangible structures, habits, and behaviors that influence whether or not humans attain what we all want most—happiness.
I became interested in his work last fall when Hallow—the #1 Catholic Prayer app that’s now more popular than TikTok (and the #1 reason this busy wife and mom remembers to pray every day)—launched a series led by Brooks, “The Science of Happiness.” It’s well worth a listen.
After decades of research on happiness, Brooks concluded that giving—whether financially or through volunteering (even giving blood!)—increases a person’s levels of happiness and satisfaction exponentially. This is not surprising to us Christians, who know God made us for happiness and gives us the roadmap to achieving it by following His example and way of life. We know doing what Jesus asks ultimately leads us to unity with Him, and therefore, the fullness of joy. But we may find it surprising that giving also increases other measurable, more earthly, metrics—namely life expectancy and even personal income.
Don’t believe me? Here’s what the researcher himself has to say: “If you have two families that are exactly identical—same religion, same race, same number of kids, same town, same level of education, and everything’s the same—except that one family gives a hundred dollars more to charity than the second family, then the giving family will earn, on average, $375 more in income than the non-giving family—and that’s statistically attributable to the gift.” Certainly, money can’t buy happiness, but apparently giving it away can!
Here are some more interesting findings from Brooks: 75% of American families give financially to charity; 50% of families volunteer their time. Brooks’ research shows that between 1954 and 2004—adjusting for inflation—Americans' purchasing power increased by 150 percent, while charitable giving increased by over 190 percent in the same period.
Further, Brooks found that if Americans were to increase their annual charitable giving by just 1%—collectively amounting to about $2 billion—it would increase the GDP of the US by $39 billion. Talk about a great way to serve your country, and an impressive return!
Imagine what that extra 1% could do for our local parishes, schools, and diocese. Here’s something to consider—if every single registered Catholic family in southern Nebraska increased their giving to their local parish by just 1% of their annual income (a bit more of an ask than 1% of current giving that Brooks proposes), it would amount to around $20 million of additional support for the vital activities of the Church in our communities and region. For perspective, Sunday and Holy Day giving across the diocese totaled just over $33 million last year.
If we as a Church could produce a 60% increase in available resources by simply giving 1% more, imagine how much more effectively our Church would be able to carry out our mission to serve, care for the poor, educate children, evangelize the lost, support priests and religious, and most importantly, ensure that Jesus Christ is present to encounter His people right in their local neighborhoods—just as He did 2,000 years ago, and continues to do through the sacraments of His Church today.
And, apparently, this additional giving would make us happier too.
It’s not out of line when I wish you a happy Lent. Though this period is marked by personal sacrifice, we know Jesus gives us this time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving for our own good. And dare I say, even for our own happiness. Now, we aren’t called to give for ourselves, just like we’re not called to give for tax breaks. But the added benefits sure don’t hurt anything.
We give because Jesus asks us to. We give because caring for others matters. We give because it’s a tangible way we can show our gratitude and our recognition that everything we have is a gift from God. But, in His love for us, our Heavenly Father designed giving and sacrifice to increase our own happiness and satisfaction as well.
About 1 in 4 Americans observe Lent, including 61% of Catholics. If you’re not part of that group, I’d encourage you to consider leaning into the liturgical season this year (It’s not too late!). If you are part of the 61%, I challenge you to consider taking your almsgiving just 1% further this year. Consider increasing your charitable giving—especially to your local parish—by just 1% of your total income. Or if you’re already giving financially what you can, try to give 1% more of your time. Perhaps you could spend 1% more time in prayer or assisting in the liturgy; 1% more time helping at a parish or school event. Not only because you’re needed, not only because you have unique gifts, but also because God loves you and wants you to be happy.
Calling you to give of yourself—and showing you how—is a tangible way Jesus invites you into deeper relationship with Him, bringing you closer to His heart so you can experience the love and happiness He longs to give you. As St. John Paul the Great reminds us, “Man...cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self.”
