What happens in the brain when you give a gift?

The Neuroscience Behind Generosity and Happiness.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your brain when you give a gift? What is the neuroscience of gift-giving? Several neuroscience studies have addressed this issue. You might not know, but giving a gift triggers a whole bunch of good things in your brain.

In addition to making your loved ones happy, you will also make your brain happy. Interestingly, both the giver and the receiver experience joy when a gift is exchanged.

Studies show that giving a gift activates regions of the brain responsible for reward, social cognition, and emotional processing. Additionally, levels of oxytocin—often called the ‘Love Hormone‘—increase, promoting feelings of pleasure and affection.

Studies have shown that the key brain regions involved in the entire process are the Ventral Striatum and Nucleus Accumbens, which are associated with feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. In addition, there is the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (MPFC), which is involved in making decisions in our social life, feeling empathy, and understanding others.

One of the studies (Park et al. 2017) suggests that we feel happier just by planning to help others before actually making the gesture itself. In another study (Harbaugh et al., 2007), it is suggested that even if we are forced to give a gift, the basic reward centers in the brain (e.g. ventral striatum) are activated.

Of course, voluntary giving, from the heart, creates stronger activations in your brain.

And then why miss the chance to make yourself and your loved ones happy with original gifts?
Why not explore our gift ideas and bring joy to both you and your loved ones today?

Learn more about fMRI, and check this interesting behavioral insights book.

Here are some of the studies where you can find more details about the neuroscience of gift-giving:

1) “A Neural Link Between Generosity and Happiness” (Park et al., 2017)

2) “Human fronto-mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation” (Moll et al., 2006)

3) “Neural responses to taxation and voluntary giving reveal motives for charitable donations” (Harbaugh et al., 2007)

4) “Oxytocin, Generosity, and the Gift of Giving” (Zak et al., 2007)