Why Now is the Time to Start Giving
| Word Count: 1,664 Estimated Read Time: 6 1/2 Min. |
The economic landscape is shifting. We are moving toward a “Reputation Economy” where social capital is as liquid as cash. Those who wait until they have “enough” to start giving will likely never start. Generosity is a muscle that must be trained. By giving now—even small amounts—it sends a signal internally and to one’s network that “I am a person of abundance.” It breaks the internal “Scarcity Loop” chatter that is highly prevalent today and establishes a view of oneself – to oneself — as a leader.
The move up into leadership starts by doing for others and giving to others. Just look around. A closer look at those who are most successful and are leaders will likely reveal individuals who understand that generosity is repaid tenfold and have thus given generously. While their generosity may not be public knowledge or touted by publicists for reputational gain, they are and likely have been generous with their giving to many (not just their close family and friends) for a long time.
How Does Generosity Repay One Tenfold?
There are two tangible reasons why generosity is the ‘giving goose’ that lays golden eggs, to borrow from an old adage. One is internal. The other is external.
Let’s start with the internal reason. Internally, there are mechanisms in the human body wired to reward generosity. That’s right. It is baked-in to our biology. There is a primal reason why the generous end up on top. It turns out that the act of giving triggers a biological “reset” that optimizes the brain for the very tasks required to build wealth. In other words, there is a ‘biological advantage’ to giving. While it’s easy to view “charity” as a marketing ploy designed to separate a person from their money, biologists and neuroscientists know that altruism is not so much a moral obligation as a sophisticated survival mechanism. The so-called ‘helper’s high’ isn’t just a warm fuzzy feeling; it’s a measurable physiological state that affects both blood chemistry and brain structure.
To understand this biological advantage, we’ll need to look at the neurochemistry of the ‘helper’s high’. When we give our time, help, or especially money to someone else, our brains don’t see it as a “loss” of resources. Instead, it treats the act of helping as a survival-essential activity, similar to eating or having children. This triggers the Mesolimbic Reward Pathway. The pathway connects the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain to the ventral striatum of the basal ganglia in the forebrain. There is very complicated medical jargon to explain how it works but suffice to say that this pathway regulates motivation and yearning or cravings and facilitates reward-related motor functions. When triggered, this pathway generates three chemicals:
1. Dopamine. This is the “reward” chemical. Functional MRI studies show that when people give money to charity, the ventral striatum—the same part of the brain that lights up for food—is activated.
2. Oxytocin. One might dub this the “hug hormone,” this chemical is released from the hypothalamus. It lowers cortisol (stress) and promotes social bonding.
3. Endorphins. These are the body’s natural painkillers. The ‘good’ feeling associated with intense altruism is a result of an opioid-like surge that reduces any physical and emotional discomfort.
So basically, when we give, our bodies respond by lowering our stress, reducing any pain we feel and make us feel ‘fed’ and satiated. That’s pretty empowering. A person flooded with these chemicals feel strong, capable and confident.
But don’t take a psychologist’s word for it. The data is in the labs. A landmark study published in Science titled Neural responses to taxation and voluntary giving reveal motives for charitable donations by William T. Harbaugh, Mayr Ulrich and Daniel R. Burghart (2007 Jun 15; 316) used MRIs to show that even ‘mandatory’ giving (like taxes) activates reward centers, but voluntary giving activates them significantly more.
Also, research from the University of California, Berkeley, found that people who volunteer have lower levels of C-reactive protein, a key marker of chronic inflammation. High inflammation is linked to heart disease and cancer. So volunteering (the giving of time) works as an immunity boost.
And, giving/generosity has been shown to increase “vagal tone,” which is measured via heart rate variability. A higher vagal tone means your body is better at regulating the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” system).
So for those wanting their bodies to feel better and actually be healthier, it’s better to spend that money by giving it to those in need than to buy medicine for themselves.
We are made (hard-wired) to give away our resources because it is necessary. Human infants are so helpless, we can only survive if people are cohesive as a group. So, we were made to have a chemical reward for cooperation to ensure that individuals will support the tribe. If helping others felt bad, humanity could not have survived for thousands of years due to a lack of social cohesion.
That immediate ‘high’, however, is temporary. It only lasts hours to days. But there are also long-term structural benefits. Aside from the ‘helper’s high’, there is also the ‘eudaimonic wellbeing’ that comes from giving. Giving improves our brain’s neuroplasticity. Repeated acts of giving ‘rewire’ the brain by strengthening the pathways between the prefrontal cortex (where decision-making happens) and the amygdala (where emotions are regulated). This leads to better, wiser decision-making.
But is giving beneficial long-term? Yes. It results in longer life. A meta-analysis published in Health Psychology titled Motives for volunteering are associated with mortality risk in older adults by Sara Konrath, Andrea Fuhrel-Forbis, Alina Lou and Stephanie Brown (2012 Jan;31(1):87-96) found that older adults who volunteered for altruistic reasons had a significantly lower mortality risk over a four-year period than those who didn’t—provided their motives were genuinely for others and not just self-serving. So giving helps you live longer if you do it for the right reasons.
It also biologically changes a person’s self-perception. This is based on the ‘Self-Efficacy’ theory. By giving, the brain receives objective evidence there one has ‘more than enough’ to live. This shifts the internal state from a Scarcity Mindset (anxiety-driven) to an Abundance Mindset (security-driven). When a person sees him or herself as a benefactor, the brain reduces the “threat response” associated with financial stress because it perceives one as being in a position of power and agency.
Giving Creates A Network of Gratitude and Support
Externally, we only need to look at how the “Super-Connector” strategy leverages generosity. The world’s most successful networkers use “micro-generosity” to build a web of influence that brings wealth directly to their doorstep. Small gestures of generosity help them build a tidal wave of supporters who then return the favor tenfold.
The concept is easy to understand if you think about it like planting seeds. As in nature, the “seed” is only valuable if it is deployed. A bag of grain sitting in a dry barn is simply inventory. It is only once planted that it becomes a multiplier. Giving works the same way. When a person gives, that person is participating in purposeful circulation.
In the 2026 economy, where digital currency and rapid transactions are the norm, the speed of one’s money—how fast it can be moved toward a productive end—often dictates one’s wealth. Hoarding creates a “stagnant pond” effect. It breeds a fear-based attachment to the current pile, which prevents one from seeing the next mountain. By “seeding” a charity, a community project, or a scholarship, one is essentially buying a stake in the future. It is a way of saying to the world (and beyond) – as well as one’s own subconscious — that one is a conduit for resources, not a cul-de-sac.
The Leadership Signal
As a final plus, generosity is also the ultimate leadership signal. When a person gives, he/she signals to their network that they have:
- Confidence: I have an abundance of resources.
- Trustworthiness: I am invested in the success of others.
- Capacity: I am capable of managing more than just my own needs.
You don’t give because you’re rich; you’re rich because you give. If that still doesn’t ring true, let’s look at the case of one of the richest men on the planet: Warren Buffet.
Case Study: Warren Buffett and the ‘Trust Dividend’
Warren Buffett is famous for his plan to give away 99% of his wealth. While many see this as a “retirement move,” Buffett has practiced a form of professional generosity for decades through “reputational giving.” But Buffett’s generosity was returned tenfold by trust. By being a “public-good” billionaire, he lowered the “trust barriers” for acquisitions. Business owners often chose to sell their companies to Buffett over higher bidders because they trusted his character. That trust was significantly bolstered due to his public commitment to giving. People knew that he planned to give 99% of his wealth and they felt that showed him to be a man with heart and compassion. His wealth increased because his generosity made him the “buyer of choice,” giving him access to deals that others couldn’t get at any price.
“Wait and See” is a Wealth Killer
And for those who tell themselves, “I will be generous once I have ‘enough”, the problem is that “enough” is a moving target. If you don’t cultivate the habit of giving when you have little, you will never have the character required to manage much. Generosity is a muscle. If you want to handle a $10 million portfolio, you must first prove you can manage the “seed” version of that wealth today. The time to decide is now. Are you a reservoir that will eventually dry up, or a river that stays fresh through movement? Try it as an experiment. Check your net worth now and then spend the year giving generously and check it again at this time next year. You are likely to find you feel better and are doing better as a result.
Quote of the Week
“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar
© 2026, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.
