Is
it really good to be good? Does science say it’s so? To borrow a
passage from St. Paul, God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). Does
helping others contribute to the happiness and health of those who give
it?   Did Ralph Waldo Emerson have it right when he wrote, “No man can
sincerely help another without helping himself.” In what sense is this
true? Is it really in some way better to give than to receive, or at
least as good? Is the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you” a key to flourishing?  What does current research tell
us about this perennial spiritual-moral truth.”

Stephen G. Post, Ph.D. ,  Professor of Preventive
Medicine and Founding Director of the Center for Medical Humanities,
Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University School of
Medicine, is the best-selling author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping