It's Better to Give Than to Receive, Even If We Don't Realise It

LONDON, November 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

-  Everyday acts of generosity make us all feel better, according to survey of 2,000* people

-  Sheffield is most generous region in the UK, followed by Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bradford and London

We really do find the act of giving more rewarding than receiving, according to research that used hypnosis to tap into the subconscious mind. The results support existing studies showing that the generous-hearted are not only less stressed, but healthier and happier.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141105/714116-INFO )

The scientific study was carried out following a survey of 2,000 people in UK cities commissioned by Fox's Biscuits to demonstrate how simple everyday gestures can have an uplifting return on our overall well-being.   

One of the rarer acts of generosity is buying a homeless person a sandwich, but this was found to produce the greatest feel-good factor among the 13% of people across the UK who have done it.

Giving up your seat for someone on public transport is far more common, but it does not make the person doing it feel nearly as good, in this case just scraping into the top ten (see lists below).

When it comes to receiving acts of generosity, the gesture that instils the most positive feeling is when a friend or relative sends a card out of the blue just to see how you are doing. This is closely followed by having a compliment paid to you by a stranger.

The hypnosis research, carried out by Mindlab International**, involved putting participants through a number of scenarios in both a hypnotised and un-hypnotised state to see how acts of generosity made them feel.

"Hypnosis leads to a heightened sense of communication with the subconscious mind which makes people's automatic response similar to as if the experience is actually occurring," according to Susie Woolf, who led the study. 

In their un-hypnotised state, participants rated the everyday act of giving as marginally more rewarding than receiving. But when hypnotised there was a significant "feel-good" shift towards giving being more rewarding.

"What this study clearly suggests is that, in many situations, people get more of a buzz out of extending the hand of generosity to others than they do when being a recipient of the gesture themselves," said neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis, who analysed the findings on behalf of Fox's Biscuits.

Letty Edwards, marketing director of Fox's Biscuits, said: "The study shows that we are a generous nation and we are delighted that small gestures in our everyday lives can have such an uplifting result. For many this is about giving a compliment or posting a surprise card. For us, it's all about delivering 'more yum per crumb' by being unbeatably generous with our ingredients and adding more chocolate, more cream, more vanilla and real jam to our biscuits for a genuine eating pleasure."

Edwards added: "It's the little things in life that can make the biggest difference. They don't have to cost too much - if anything at all - or indeed take too much time and effort, but the positive return is well worth it."

Most generous cities: say they carry out acts of generosity at least once a week: 

1. Sheffield (84%)
2. Edinburgh (78%)
3. Liverpool (77%)
4. Bradford (76%)
5. London (69%)
6. Birmingham (68%)
7. Glasgow (67%)
8. Manchester (66%)
9. Leeds (63%)
10. Bristol (61%)
    

Giving: top acts that make you feel good when you do them: 

1. Buying a sandwich for a homeless person.
2. Sending a friend or family member a card in the post to see how they are.
3. Cooking someone a meal they weren't expecting.
4. Helping a stranger whose car has broken down.
5. Paying for a shopper who is short of money at the checkout.
6. Paying a stranger a compliment.
7. Offering someone a lift.
8. Allowing someone with just a few items to go ahead of you at the checkout.
9. Giving a waiter or waitress a generous tip.
10. Offering someone your seat on crowded public transport.

Receiving: top acts that make you feel good when they are done FOR you: 

1. Being sent a card out of the blue by a friend or family member.
2. Being paid a compliment by a stranger
3. Having someone pay when you are short of money at the checkout.
4. Having an unexpected meal cooked for you
5. Having a stranger help you when your car has broken down
6. Being given a large tip when you are working as a waiter or waitress
7. Being offered a lift
8. Someone giving up their seat for you on public transport
9. Someone helping you with heavy items
10. Someone picking up something you have dropped

*Vision Critical surveyed 2,000 in cities across the UK  

**Mindlab International is an independent research consultancy based in Brighton; Work conducted in October 2014 

SOURCE Fox's Biscuits