Does being in a good mood make you more generous? Researchers say yes and charities should take note

By THALIA BEATY
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Those ads showing caged dogs and desperate looking cats while Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” played in the background have been not just effective at making viewers sad, but also remarkably successful at raising money for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since 2007. However, a new study shows other strategies may also be effective at motivating people to give. The study from Nathan Chan, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Casey Wichman, assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, found that people in good moods are more likely to donate to a charitable cause.