This sentiment may seem like a paradox at first glance, but it can be easily explained. America, famously known throughout the world as a nation of hedonistic people, is curiously the most philanthropic nation in the world. In a study published by the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers found that people are more likely to donate when they think it will make them feel better. When you see a commercial featuring an orphaned child, you can donate to a cause that helps the child find a loving home (5 Ways Donating is Good). While seeing or hearing about children in pain may be uncomfortable, that anguish doesn't push them to reach into their pockets and donate. Instead, donations flow when people feel the hope of bringing smiles to suffering faces. That feeling of hope, or similar euphoric sensations, are driven by the brain's reward systems. Researchers have studied why people tend to give more when they are happy and the surprising conclusion shows that giving releases endorphins (Why giving makes you happy). Endorphins are groups of hormones secreted in the brain and nervous system that activate the body's opiate receptors, causing an analgesic or healing effect (Skoglund, Andrea). These endorphins also reduce stress hormones that cause unhappiness and promote an addictive feeling of euphoria throughout the body. This "helper effect" produces a light version of