Does spending money on others promote happiness?: A registered replication report.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Level 2 by design analogy: high-powered randomized experimental trials in social psychology.
PubMed 32250135 · doi:10.1037/pspa0000191
What was done
The authors conducted high-powered registered replications across three experimental paradigms testing whether prosocial spending increases happiness compared to personal spending. In Experiment 1, 712 students were randomly assigned to purchase an item for themselves or a stranger in need and then reported their happiness. In Experiment 2, 1,950 adults were randomly assigned to recall a past personal or prosocial spending experience and report current happiness. In Experiment 3 (N = 5,199), the recall paradigm was repeated with minor methodological modifications intended to increase task engagement.
What was found
The abstract reports directional outcomes without exact numerical statistics or effect sizes. In Experiment 1, participants assigned to prosocial spending reported significantly higher momentary happiness than those in the personal spending condition. In Experiment 2, prosocial recall did not lead to greater happiness compared to personal spending recall (null effect). In Experiment 3, participants recalling prosocial spending reported greater happiness than those recalling personal spending, but the authors noted the differences were small.
Why it matters
Prior research demonstrating the emotional benefits of prosocial spending relied heavily on small sample sizes. This large-scale registered replication confirms that prosocial spending can increase happiness, but demonstrates that the effect size is small and sensitive to task engagement and paradigm choice.
Limits
The abstract does not provide exact statistical values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Experiment 1 was conducted solely with university students, and Experiments 2 and 3 relied on retrospective recall rather than real-time spending behavior. Long-term emotional effects were not assessed.
Cited by
- supports Studies demonstrate that participants given money to spend on others report significantly higher happiness than participants instructed to spend the same amount on themselves.