Giving Tuesday is an Opportunity to Show Gratitude Through Generosity

A gratitude jar is a simple idea. Using little pieces of paper, write down something you are thankful for, and place that note in a jar. Make it part of a daily routine, and the jar starts to fill up. When that happens, giving thanks spills over into becoming a disposition of gratitude, a way of being and not just a passing moment.

At Mosaic, the gratitude jar is overflowing! Giving Tuesday is coming up (December 3), and it’s a good opportunity to look at the connection between gratitude and joy.

Gratitude is more than giving thanks. Thanks, like happiness, is situational—and sometimes even automatic or unconscious. Think about how often “thank you” is said every day. Gratitude, on the other hand, is a way of life. Gratitude is built upon thanks but isn’t situational. It is an ongoing appreciation of life and the many blessings and gifts that life brings

When gratitude becomes a way of life, it brings a sense of satisfaction that spills over into other emotions and lifts a person up. This is from a Psychology Today blog post: 

“There is no question that gratitude is good for you. There is significant scientific literature showing that people who feel gratitude are less likely to be depressed and worried, and more likely to feel satisfied with their lives.” (Psychology Today Blog)

That same blog post explores the connection between gratitude and giving:

“Research shows that gratitude is part of the psychological foundation that prompts us to ‘give back’ in many ways. It encourages us to return favors to our friends, neighbors and family members. And gratitude inspires us to help others in society as a whole.”

Gratitude is a disposition that’s common among those who donate to Mosaic throughout the year. When I visit with donors to thank them for their generosity, almost invariably they turn that around and thank Mosaic for giving them the opportunity to do something good with their giving.

Giving benefits the recipient, but it also benefits the giver. Science actually shows that giving makes people feel good. This is from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago:

“A study on charitable donation in which researchers performed functional MRI scans on donors’ brains showed that after donating a part of their brains “lit up,” or became active. (The MRI scans are used to detect neurological activity.) … The part of the brain that controls feelings of reward and pleasure lit up.” (The Health Benefits of Giving)

Throughout the year, Mosaic raises funds to help make the lives of the people we support better. Here’s a list of some of the things gift money has done. This Giving Tuesday, we’re inviting people to “spread the joy” by giving, because it’s good for the people Mosaic serves and for those who give.