Why you Should Give to be Happy + 6 Apps and Extensions
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
Are you guys ready for the holiday season? Do you have your ugly sweaters, pumpkin pie recipes, and decorations out of the closet?
I’m going to tell you one thing: I AM READY FOR THE FOOD. It will be hard to stop myself before my stomach explodes…
What is your favorite holiday dish? Personally, I love French log cake. Last year I made one with chocolate and pistachios. It took forever to bake since I don’t know how to cook, but it was delicious! I might even give it another try this year 😀
Oops, I’m derailing from the subject of the day! So let’s get to it.
The holiday season is about food, family, friendship, and giving. Not only giving presents but giving to people in need.
In this article, I’m going to share a few tools to easily help charities!
But first, let’s talk about why giving is good for you.
Why giving makes you happier
Studies have shown that giving to others is good to fight depression and make you a happier person.
Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and Michael I. Norton, the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, carried out several studies that found positive and negative correlations between money and happiness.
Their team discovered that people who give are happier than people that spend money for themselves.
You can watch Dr. Elizabeth Dunn’s 15-minute pop tech talk below, or
Michael I. Norton’s TedTalk here.
So why does giving make you happier?
In a short interview with Scientific American, that you can listen here, Dr. Elizabeth Dunn explains “the more money people kept for themselves the more shame they experienced. And the more shame people felt the more we saw their cortisol levels rise.” And cortisol is linked to stress.
So the more you give, the less shame you experience and the less cortisol you have, leading to less stress.
Apps and extension to help you give to charities
1. Donate a Photo for charity
Donate a Photo is a free charity app available on both iOS and Android.
The idea is simple, you donate a photo within the app and Johnson & Johnson will give $1 to the cause you selected.
It doesn’t cost you anything! Just a picture that you already have on your phone!
2. Charity Miles Walk&Run Tracker
Charity Miles is available on both iOS and Android.
This app is perfect if you are often on the move! If you commute with public transportation, walk your dog, love shopping, hiking, biking, or for a run.
It acts like a fitness tracker and gives money to your selected charity for every mile you walk, run or bike. And it doesn’t cost you anything! So go download it now.
3. ShareTheMeal
ShareTheMeal was created by the United Nation to fight against hunger in the world. It’s available on both iOS and Android.
You can start a challenge with your friends to help feed people around the world. It only cost $ 0.50 to feed one child for one day. So don’t wait and go help to fight hunger in the world!
4. GoFundMe
Help friends or strangers with GoFundMe available on both iOS and Android.
In GoFundMe people create fundraisings for specific causes, like paying medical bills, start education funds, memorial campaigns, and more. You can browse for causes and just give to the ones that touch you personally.
Most people only give to campaign for friends and families, but why not help someone you don’t know?
5. Smile Always
Did you know that Amazon is giving money to your selected charity for everything you buy on their store? It’s called Amazon Smile, but to do it you need to shop from smile.amazon.com instead of smile.amazon.com, and people probably forget most of the time.
This is why you need to download the extension Smile Always on the Chrome Webstore here.
This extension automatically switches to Amazon Smile when you shop online! It’s free and makes you feel better about your spending spree ;D
6. Loftii
Loftii is another free extension helping you to give while shopping without costing you anything! Well, except what you’re buying.
All you need to do is create an account, select a charity, download the extension and shop online as you usually do. That’s it.
You can download it here.
Over to you
What is your favorite way to give and help other people?
Comment below to inspire others!
joseyphina
November 27, 2016 at 12:27 pmThanks for the info. Out of your list, I know only of go fund me. Great post
Sarah Harris | Makesmewander.com
November 27, 2016 at 4:37 pm…and the key is to give without expecting anything back!
Glad you explained these apps. I’d seen a few friends do the charity miles but didn’t know what it was. I may sign up now!
Danielle @ Follow My Gut
November 27, 2016 at 10:19 pmI love that you created this post, and especially right before Christmas which is like the most giving season ever. The apps you suggest here are so simple and ranged greatly. From contributing images to money and everything in between, you really describe it so well that it can help out anyone (myself included) who wants to donate. Can’t wait to explore these apps more!!