In 2020, psychologists Adam Waytz of Northwestern University and Wilhelm Hofmann of the University of Cologne in Germany set out to answer a question: Do I get happier when I focus on my own desires, or when I focus on doing something for others, instead? We generally think about the trade-off between self-care and caring for others as one between feeling good and doing what is morally superior.
If you take the afternoon off and go shopping, you’ll enjoy it. If instead you volunteer at a local charity, you’ll miss that fun but be a better person. Obviously, this trade-off has limits; you need to take care of yourself to help others, and helping others can be fun for you. In general, however, this is how we see the “me versus others” choice. The researchers questioned whether there really was a trade-off to build the life you want at all. They wondered if, just maybe, focusing on others created more happiness for you than self-care did.
To investigate this idea, they divided 263 participants into three groups, each with a different set of instructions.
1. Moral Deeds Group: Today, we would like you to do at least one moral deed for others. By “moral…
Read more