4 tips to practice generosity intelligently

Generosity is the quality of being kind and understanding toward others that includes giving others things that have value.. This quality is often understood as an act of selflessness. However, generosity itself is an act of self-interest. How can we practice generosity intelligently?

Stephen G. Post demonstrates in a study that altruistic emotions and behaviors are associated with greater well-being, health and longevity. In this sense, practicing generosity is a principle of mental health, and could be the key to a happy and healthy life. We could then say that, selfishly speaking, we are interested in being generous to others for our own good.

Many other studies have highlighted the benefits of generosity, highlighting that it helps reduce stress, have better physical health, improve one’s meaning in life, combat depression or increase lifespan.

But a longer, less stressful, and more meaningful life is not enough to inspire the practice of generosity. In this sense, another of its great benefits, and which is one of the factors that most drives people to be generous, is that generosity promotes and improves social relationships.

And when we give to others, we not only make them feel closer to us, but we also feel closer to them. This is because being generous and kind encourages us to perceive others in a more positive light and fosters a sense of community and interconnectedness, and makes us feel better about ourselves.

Generosity helps build natural self-confidence and is a natural repellent of self-hatred. By focusing on what we are giving rather than what we are receiving, we create a more outward orientation toward the world, which shifts our attention away from ourselves.

4 ideas to practice generosity

Here we leave you 4 ideas so you can practice generosity every day. Introduce these ideas as habits and, little by little, you will begin to do them unconsciously.

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1. Give something to another that is important to them

Generosity is most effective when what you offer is important to the other person.. Think about what the other person wants or needs, which doesn’t always have to be something material. Giving your time to another can in itself be an act of generosity that can greatly help another person.

2. Accept recognition

Generosity is a two-way street, and it is important to let the other person express. In this sense, a study has shown that the emotion produced by gratitude helps build high-quality relationships between a grateful person and the person who has been the object of a generous act.

This, which seems so obvious, is often ignored when we try to prevent someone from thanking us because we don’t want to give it importance or for other reasons.

3. Accept the generosity of others

It’s also important to let others do things for you.. Why should we rob others of the joy of giving? This is, in itself, another act of generosity, although it can often make us feel somewhat uncomfortable. And generosity is very often an act of love and, although it may seem contradictory, many people respond negatively to the fact of being loved.

4. Show appreciation

Gratitude is important. Although showing appreciation for the generosity received can make us feel uncomfortable, it is important to be grateful, and avoid phrases like “this is too much”, “you shouldn’t have bothered”, etc. A simple “thank you” is the minimum.