The gift of giving: Are you ready to feel happy and be healthy?
When I am looking at the faces of our global team members, when talking about helping others, I always see one thing: HAPPINESS. But did you know that people who are givers are also healthier? Science proofs it. Discover EDSO and Delacon’s global “giving initiatives”.
Hello phytogenius minds around the globe.
For many of you, Christmas and the holiday season is around the corner. This time is also known as the giving peak of the year: It is estimated, that the average American is spending about 600 $ on Christmas gifts. Very generous, isn’t it? But it is not the amount of money that counts. Did you know that people who are givers are happier and healthier? An interesting fact that we should look at more closely.
After reading this article, you will know about:
- Why givers are living a happier and healthier life
- EDSO – the four happiness chemicals
- Delacon’s global initiatives & Christmas traditions
EDSO: The four happiness chemicals
To make giving attractive to humans, our body is producing chemicals to make us feel happy and joyful. This is a scientifically proven effect.
Jordan Grafman showed in his study at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago on brain scans that people are even happier when they can use the money for charity rather than using it for themselves.
Another study conducted at the University of British Columbia showed a positive influence on health. The group of people who used money to buy gifts for others showed a significant decrease in their blood pressure in comparison to the control group, who used the given money only for themselves. How can this phenomenon be explained? By the release of Oxytocin.
As it turns out, all of our positive emotions are produced by these for chemicals: Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin and Oxytocin.
Good to know
- Endorphins: Helping to reduce depression and anxiety in response to pain or stress.
- Examples: “runner’s high” or laughing so hard that your “body hurts.”
- Dopamine: Helping you to move forward on actions to reach your goals.
- Examples: The positive feeling you have when reaching a specific goal or you crossing something off your “to-do” list.
Attention: Dopamine comes with a warning label and can lead to addiction. It will be also released when you gamble, drink alcohol, use tobacco, use your cell phone (social media, games, etc.). - Serotonin: Allowing you to experience a feeling of significance and importance.
- Examples: Feeling of pride and confidence when finding solutions to a complex problem together. Reinforce the bond between leader & team, coach & team or parent and child.
- Oxytocin: Encouraging to serve others and helping to build relationships
- Examples: Helping someone and expecting nothing in return, handshakes, hugs, charity work and giving gifts or thank you cards.
There is no chemical better than the other one – they all have a specific purpose. When all these chemicals are in balance, we operate at our best.
THYME to give: Delacon’s phytogenius minds and their global initiatives
At Delacon we know how blessed we are: Meeting people around the globe and contributing to a higher cause. Therefore, we love to give back to others and make ourselves happy with an oxytocin boost. Find following three of our global “giving initiatives”:
Secret Santa
One of our beloved Christmas traditions is Secret Santa. It is a beautiful way to make someone happy, even with a small amount of money. Most of the time, the identity of the gift giver will remain a secret.
Delacon and Fitotek invest in the education of young folks in Chile
As phytogenius minds we believe in educating others to become phytogenius on their own. To us, education is the passport to the future. Therefore, we did not hesitate to support a project in Chile that thaught sixty teachers a cooperative learning methodology called Kagan. Do you want to know more about Kagan and the entire initiative? Find out more here.
Green Egg
Delacon’s Green Egg project aims to increase awareness of the nutritional and health benefits of eggs. How? Get more insights here.
As you can see, giving is not only a good idea during Christmas time. You have 365 days a year to make yourself happy by helping others.
Marlene Forrai
Storyteller, foodie, life-long learner – may be the three words that describe me best. Unfortunately, you cannot make a living by only eating food, even though it’s healthy. Therefore, I have developed my skills in Marketing, Online Communications and Content Management to enlighten people around the globe about the power of nature and its contribution to animal as well as human health. Since February 2022, Marlene started a new career path outside of Delacon.
