Science agrees.

People who made gifts to others or to charities reported they were happier than folks who didn't share, according to a report in today's issue of the journal Science.

While previous studies have shown that having more money can increase happiness, the researchers at the University of British Columbia and Harvard University wondered whether the way people spent their money made any difference.

Turns out, it does.

Lead researcher Elizabeth W. Dunn, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, said she wasn't surprised that doing something for others made people happy.

But she was struck by how big the effect was and that how people spent money was more important than how much money they had.

"This work suggests that even making small alterations in how we spend money on a daily basis can make a difference in happiness," Dunn said in a telephone interview.

"That doesn't mean go get a high-paying job so you can spend tons of money on others. The message is, given what you have, how can you make little alterations to do something for others," she said.

And, she added, "there's nothing special about money" -- giving can involve time or special skills to help other people.

The report didn't surprise Sue Citro, senior digital membership manager for the Nature Conservancy.

"We do hear from our members and our supporters that they do get a real feeling of satisfaction from knowing their giving is doing good," she said.

"The act of helping has its own profound effect," said Andrea Koslow, director of advertising at the American Red Cross.

"People need a humanitarian outlet. ... Feeling that they make a difference ... that's very motivating," Koslow said.

The good feeling associated with giving is why workplace charity opportunities can engage employees and lift morale, added Kristine Templin, director of corporate partnerships at the American Red Cross.

A separate study published in 2006 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the same parts of the brain that produce the good feeling when a person receives a reward also respond when the person gives to someone else.