Giving Gifts is Just as Good for the Giver and Receiver
We are coming up to the ‘season of giving’. But in reality, gift giving is ingrained in every part of our culture - birthdays, weddings, holiday souvenirs, "just thinking of you" gifts - they are everywhere. Giving gifts is even part of the animal world: penguins give their mate pebbles, cats give their family dead mice and bonobos give fruit to strangers. So why do we like to give so much?
Well, it turns out that giving gifts is not only good for the recipient, it is also good for the giver too. So, to prepare for the season of giving, let’s delve into just how powerful giving really is.
Releases Happy Hormones
When you give a gift to someone, your brain releases happy hormones. Research has shown that giving gifts releases the following endorphins:
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure, happiness and connection.
Oxytocin is a brain hormone that is responsible for the feeling of euphoria and warmth.
Serotonin is the chemical that helps to regulate your mood.
The increased release of happy hormones leads to a better sense of general well-being. It feels good to give gifts. It also makes the gift giver feel good about themselves. Being generous with gifting has been shown to raise self-esteem substantially.
Makes You Feel Gratitude
One of the lovely things about giving and receiving gifts is that it forces you to take a moment of gratitude. When choosing a gift for somebody, you reflect on and demonstrate your gratitude towards this person. This lets the giver feel gratitude for the great friendships in their life, and it helps the recipient feel appreciated. So everybody wins and can spend a moment feeling gratitude.
It is Good for Health
A study by Stony Brook University showed that people with chronic illnesses who give gifts generously get health benefits from this. But it isn’t only chronically ill people who get health benefits from giving gifts. Here are some of the other known health benefits of gift-giving:
A lower blood pressure. Giving gifts helps lower your blood pressure similar to following a healthy diet. Researchers at UCLA actually found that giving gifts lowers your blood pressure even more than receiving gifts.
A lower risk of heart attacks and strokes. Gift-giving actually helps to keep your arteries clear. This helps to keep your heart rate lower and lowers your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
A longer lifespan. Research has found that people who volunteer are likely to live longer - even when you take other factors, like health habits, into account. Who knew the secret to a longer life was generosity?!
Less depression. Giving gifts, volunteering and sharing kindness all help to boost your brain’s mesolimbic pathway, the reward pathway. This contributes towards combatting depression.
It Helps with Social Connection
Giving gifts is an incredibly effective way to demonstrate that somebody is important to you. Picking out the perfect gift, making a thoughtful gift or spending money on something you know someone will love, shows how much you care for someone. This promotes positivity and good feelings about the giver or the receiver. It is a great way of strengthening social bonds and reaffirming the importance of the people around you.
Gift-giving is Contagious
The best part is that gift-giving is contagious. If one person gives, it creates a ripple effect that causes other people around them to spread generosity. And so eventually everyone is giving gifts and showing their appreciation!
A national study carried out in the US by Harvard, the University of California, and San Diego found that “when people benefit from kindness, they ‘pay it forward’ by helping others who were not originally involved, [this creates] a cascade of cooperation that influences dozens more in a social network.”
Therefore, as a generous individual, you can have a big effect just by giving gifts to those you care about. Isn’t that amazing?
So Give the Gift of JOMO
If you are looking for the perfect gift for the non-drinkers, health-conscious or foodies in your life, then why not give someone the gift of JOMO?
The JOMO Club offers a range of alcohol-free gift-giving options. You can send a one-off JOMO alcohol-free hamper or, sign someone up for a 3, 6 or 12-month gift subscription, or get them a gift card to spend in the JOMO bottle shop.
With a JOMO alcohol-free box or subscription, the recipient will receive a box filled to the brim with delicious alcohol-free goodies, directly to their front door. Each box is thoughtfully curated and includes only the best of the best in the world of alcohol-free drinks. You won’t find these drinks in the supermarket!
Each box includes the following:
A full-sized alcohol-free spirit,
Mixers, garnishes and recipes that pair with the spirit,
A range of ready-to-drink alcohol-free beverages,
Delicious snacks,
A glossy magazine with everything you need to know about your new alcohol-free goodies.
So why not demonstrate how important the people around you are and make yourself feel good too? All you need to do is give the gift of JOMO to let people discover the true joy of missing out!