Should you give money to beggars?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should you give money to beggars?
Position‹3 of 6›: Yes, you should always give to those who have less.
Argument‹3 of 4›: It will make you feel good

Acts of kindness are oftentimes more for the person doing the act than the recipient.

The argument

Not only does giving money to beggars benefit them, but it also helps to improve your well-being as well. The rush of endorphins released into your body after doing an act of kindness is what is known as the 'helper's high', and it ultimately provides the giver with positive feelings such as satisfaction and pleasure. There are several other ways in which giving money to a homeless person could be beneficial to the giver. For example, it allows you to recognize your own privilege and be grateful for what you have. It may also provide a needed distraction from problems and stressors in your everyday life. Not only will financially helping a homeless person improve your emotional health, but your physical health will be positively affected as well. Studies have suggested that those who volunteer due to altruistic values live longer than those who don't and tend to have a better quality of life. If helping the homeless becomes part of a consistent routine, these long-term physical benefits could apply to you as well. This is why it is always a good choice to give to a beggar whenever you are able and have the means to do so.

Context

Doing good deeds is related to a whole host of health benefits, including weight control, blood pressure, chronic pain, and depression. The brain releases "feel-good" neurotransmitters when you give charitably, in a cycle that psychologists call "the helper's high".

Premises

[P1]Doing an act of kindness like giving to a beggar releases endorphins — a helper's high of satisfaction and pleasure. [P2] It also lets you recognise your own privilege, distracts from stress, and improves emotional health. [P3] Studies show altruistic giving even brings long-term physical benefits, with volunteers living longer. [C] Therefore, because it will make you feel good as well as help them, you should always give to those who have less.

Counter-arguments

It may make you feel good to give in the moment, but if you are conflicted about whether it was the right decision you may ultimately feel worse. Achieving the 'helper's high', and only caring about how you benefit from the exchange, should not be the sole reason behind your donation. While giving to beggars may result in positive feelings for some people, it could incur just the opposite in others. This is known as 'compassion fatigue', which leaves you feeling powerless, hopeless, and burdened by the poverty and suffering that you witnessed firsthand.

Rejecting the premises

Giving to beggars is not a good deed and as such will not make you feel good.

Proponents cited

Anthony de Mello
“Charity is really self-interest masquerading under the form of altruism. … I give myself the pleasure of pleasing others.”
Dr. Stephen Post
“When the happiness, security and well-being of others become real to us, we come into our own. Creativity, meaning, resilience, health and even longevity can be enhanced as a surprising byproduct of contributing to the lives of others. This is perennial wisdom, and science now says it is so.”
Jason Silva
“There are so many people who say that nature is savage, that if we could rid ourselves of social constraints we would become animals and literally eat each other alive. But I don’t know if that’s necessarily the case. There are sides of us that are quite brutal and selfish, but nature has given us many gifts among them something known as the helper’s high: the neurobiology of helping others.”