“…prosocial acts associated with concretely framed goals lead to greater happiness for the givers as opposed to abstractly framed prosocial goals. This is true, the researchers say, although it seems counterintuitive.
In one experiment involving bone marrow transplants, the researchers focused on whether giving those who needed a transplant “greater hope” (abstract), or giving them “a better chance at finding a donor” (concrete) created more personal happiness for the giver. They found that helping someone find a donor created a greater sense of happiness for the giver. The research team says that this was driven by givers’ perceptions that their actual acts better met their expectations of accomplishing their goal of helping another person.”
Article: Chasing Happiness May Actually Make Us Less Happy, RedOrbit
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