Apr 26 2012: Similarly, does this experiment account for whether the money given was disposable income? For example, consider a single parent working 2 jobs and raising 2 children, just covering rent and other bills - would that person feel happy donating $20 to a random stranger or a charity? How would it compare to someone in a dual income, no kids household where each person is making 6 figures? Is there a difference in the outcome among people of different socio-economic levels?
Apr 26 2012: I'm curious if compelling someone to be generous negates happiness. If you give someone (or some government) $X without being coerced, the assumption here is that you will receive a certain amount of happiness. But what if someone says you HAVE to give that same $X? Does the requirement to give impact the amount of happiness you get from the giving?
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A reply on Talk: Michael Norton: How to buy happiness
A comment on Conversation: How can we re-frame tax policy to make people happier about paying taxes and/or spending pro-socially?