Why You Should Let People Help You More

We usually think generosity means helping other people. But what if accepting help is generous, too?

In this episode of Office Hours, I explore why letting others help us can be a gift. We’ll look at the science of why helping makes people happier, why others enjoy doing us favors more than we expect, the four rules for asking well, and how receiving with grace creates a virtuous cycle of generosity.

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Referenced:

• The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness

• Meaning Membership

• Arthur’s newsletter

• The Happiness Scale

• The Pursuit of Happiness with Arthur Brooks

• The Meaning of Your Life Retreats

• It’s good to do good and receive good: The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver well-being

• Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism

• Happy People Become Happier Through Kindness: A Counting Kindnesses Intervention

• Surprisingly Happy to Have Helped: Underestimating Prosociality Creates a Misplaced Barrier to Asking for Help

• Franklin’s Autobiography

• Ben Franklin’s Quote

• Victim entitlement to behave selfishly

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