Does spending money on others make you happier than spending it on yourself?

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Researchers conducted three registered replication experiments to revisit a finding that had often been studied with small groups: spending on others can bring more happiness than spending on yourself.

In the first experiment, 712 students were randomly assigned to make a purchase for themselves or a stranger in need. Those buying for the stranger reported greater happiness afterward. The other experiments tested a different task—recalling past spending rather than making a new purchase. Among 1,950 adults, recalling spending on someone else did not produce greater current happiness than recalling spending on oneself.

The researchers suggested that low engagement with the memory task might explain that result, but this was a possible explanation, not an established cause. They repeated the task with minor changes intended to increase engagement. In this third experiment, involving 5,199 participants, recalling spending on others was linked to greater happiness, but the difference was small.

Together, the experiments support a happiness benefit from spending on others, while showing that its size depends on how it is tested. They measured happiness after the tasks; the abstract does not establish a lasting benefit or show that actual spending is always more effective than remembering it.