The Spirit of Giving

While Christmas might be recognized as a holiday season for giving to friends and family, it’s a deed that St. Albert folks perform year-round to pretty much everyone else. 

Since 2022, locals have contributed everything from the bare essentials to medical equipment to citizens in war-torn Ukraine. They’ve also donated blankets and clothing to Edmonton’s Hope Mission to help the homeless endure those punishing winters. 

Not to be outdone are the students at Bellerose Composite High School, whose annual bike-a-thons have generated thousands of dollars towards cancer research. And volunteers and donors contributing to the St. Albert Food Bank never fail to impress Suzan Krecsy, the organization’s executive director.

“We’ve always seen the community of St. Albert rally around folks who need their help. It’s a very altruistic approach. They give and many of them don’t want any recognition.”

said Suzan Krecsy,about the locals who managed to stuff 500 food hampers for needy families last Christmas

Charity donations

The rest of Alberta seems to be just as benevolent overall, contributing more than $1.8 billion to worthy causes in 2022, third behind Ontario and British Columbia, according to Statistics Canada. Based on roughly five million tax filings, results from 2023 revealed that Canadians donated $12.8 billion to charity, higher than the previous year’s tally of $11.4 billion.

Statistics Canada also noted that seniors and folks earning more than $100,000 annually were more likely to dig into their pockets. The median donation in 2023 was $390—nearly three percent higher than in 2022—indicating that other demographics have been trying to do their part as well.

“People give to connect with others, show care, and make a positive impact,” said Erica Attia, a psychologist at St. Albert-based Wholesome Psychology. “Whether through gifts or supporting a cause, giving is rewarding, strengthens relationships, and reflects our values. During the holidays, this is especially true, as it brings joy and keeps the season’s spirit alive.”

Deeper incentive

Charity might begin at home, but more intensive research reveals that the incentive goes much deeper, as in right into the base of the brain. It turns out that the very acts of gift-giving and philanthropy are major sources of happiness for donors, thanks to the hypothalamus sitting in all that grey matter.

Whenever someone gives an individual a gift or donates to a charity, the process triggers the hypothalamus to release oxytocin, often dubbed the “cuddle hormone” by psychologists. Once oxytocin enters the bloodstream, donors experience a feel-good vibe prompting the joy of giving.

“Oftentimes, people refer to it as the ‘warm glow,’ this intrinsic delight in doing something for someone else,” said Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas, a science director at the University of California-Berkeley, in a piece published by the American Psychological Association. Simon-Thomas, who specializes in researching the psychology behind compassion, added that the effect is the same among recipients.

“If you’re given a gift from someone who cares about you a lot and you really love what they have gotten you, that is going to yield a very similar oxytocin-laden reward response.”

said Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas,

Zurich study

A 2017 experiment conducted by the University of Zurich in Switzerland placed a greater focus on how economic transaction activity affects our moods. The study involved two groups of participants, each given 100 Swiss francs. One group was told to spend that money on others, with the other required to fritter the cash on themselves within a month. 

At the end of the period, MRI technology measured brain activity of each participant. Scanning concentrated on areas particularly between the temporoparietal junction (a spot that’s key for social cognition) and the ventral striatum (a part of the brain that focuses on motivation, reward and goal-setting). The findings demonstrated a higher level of cerebral activity in the striatum and a stronger neural link with the temporoparietal junction among the more generous group than those who spent on themselves.

Folks who dropped their dough on others also reported they were happier during the giving process. “These results demonstrate that top–down control of striatal activity plays a fundamental role in linking commitment-induced generosity with happiness,” revealed the Zurich report, published in the scientific journal Nature.

Results from the Swiss project echo findings that surfaced five years earlier in a study conducted at the University of California Berkley. According to a Scientific American article, the U.S. experiment tested participants—each presented with $128—who were given the choice of offering a one-time donation to a total stranger or keeping all the loot to themselves. Interestingly, all participants chose to donate, some even wanting to give away up to 40 percent of their stash.

Social standing

Medical research might have proven that it’s better to give than receive if happiness is the main goal. But it isn’t merely altruism or those warm feelings that entirely motivates givers. Some academics believe that such generous actions also serve to uphold a donor’s community reputation. “You need to think about what gifts actually do; they actually help us to maintain our social groups,” said Dr. Daniel Farrelly, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Worcester in the U.K., to the BBC.

“We know that individuals who are cooperative, who work with others, are going to be more successful than those who don’t cooperate, who try to do things on their own. And the benefit you get from being in those groups are going to far outweigh the costs. So, the key part of gift-giving is a really nice opportunity to really cement and strengthen those social bonds that are so important to us.”

Two-fold effect

In some cases, choosing a gift can spur a two-fold effect of pleasing a grateful recipient and benefiting the community at large. “People are very motivated to shop locally and support different vendors,” noted Abbie Millard, a manager at St. Albert gift shop The Makers Keep.

“We do have a few brands in here that are doing things for the local community,” she added, citing some of them that support causes which include campaigns pushing for more indigenous housing and assisting women affected by domestic violence.

For all the pragmatism that might factor into deciding on a gift to give or a charity to support, the act is still primarily an emotional decision, something that Krecsy still delights in seeing after working for nearly 20 years at the local food bank. 

“Lots of people say it makes them feel good and they said they’re very blessed in their situation, so they just want to share,” she said. “And I’ve heard that year after year after year in the time that I’ve been here.”