Revisionist History · Pushkin Industries

How to Experience the Joy of Giving Right Now: A Giving Tuesday Special from The Happiness Lab

December 2, 2025·48 min·3 clips

Two strangers on a motorbike chased Tim Harford for miles to return his lost passport without expecting a reward.

A charitable holiday is the hinge. Dr. Laurie Santos uses it to collect stories about generosity from podcasters she likes. The idea is simple. Give someone else a little happiness, she says, and your own mood may move too. Michael Lewis brings the street-level version. He has started carrying ten-dollar bills so he can say yes when someone asks him for money, without running through the usual pause, excuse, and internal debate. The habit is small on purpose. It makes generosity easier, but not weightless. Santos asks how it feels. Lewis says the lift is real, though he does not want the act to become too smooth. A little friction is part of the point. He thinks back to something a dad in a family he met while working on The Blind Side said about giving enough that it hurts. Santos understands the math. Ten dollars could vanish into lattes, but handed to another person it seems to come back with more charge than its face value. Lewis is still early in the practice. After a couple of months and about five moments, he wants it to stick. The point widens from homelessness to the way he moves through a city at all. Instead of waiting to be interrupted, he is trying to be ready when someone asks. Santos ties that to GiveDirectly's no-questions-asked cash transfers, then points listeners toward more holiday happiness questions, with actor and podcaster Rain Wilson next.

As heard by us

A warm, practical special that makes generosity feel immediate and worth the small sting.

This holiday themed special keeps its attention on small acts of generosity and the people willing to talk about them. Laurie Santos gives the episode a simple frame, and Michael Lewis lands best with the plain habit of carrying ten dollar bills so he can hand them out without…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Need a nudge to give before the day runs away?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Revisionist History