Search

“If you want to help create a more equitable world but don't know where to start, Infectious Generosity is for you.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotes The bestselling author, media pioneer, and curator of TED explores one of humankind's defining but overlooked impulses, and how we can super-charge its potential to build a hopeful futureLet's face it: Recent years have been tough on optimists. Hopes that the Internet might bring people together have been crushed by the ills of social media. Is there a way back?As head of TED, Chris Anderson has had a ringside view of the world's boldest thinkers sharing their most uplifting ideas. Inspired by them, he believes that it's within our grasp to turn outrage back into optimism. It all comes down to reimagining one of the most fundamental human virtues: generosity. What if generosity could become infectious generosity? Consider • how a London barber began offering haircuts to people experiencing homelessness—and catalyzed a movement• how two anonymous donors gave $10,000 each to two hundred strangers and discovered that most recipients wanted to “pay it forward” with their own generous acts• how TED itself transformed from a niche annual summit into a global beacon of ideas by giving away talks online, allowing millions access to free learningIn telling these inspiring stories, Anderson has given us “the first page-turner ever written about human generosity” (Elizabeth Dunn). More important, he offers a playbook for how to embark on our own generous acts—whether gifts of money, time, talent, connection, or kindness—and to prime them, thanks to the Internet, to have self-replicating, even world-changing, impact.

A guide to how giving can be the key to happiness—combining the latest research with firsthand accounts from Goldie Hawn, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, and others. As a Philanthropy advisor, Jenny Santi has met some of the world's most notable and inspiring change-makers. Despite their diverse backgrounds, each of these people has related to Santi that the thing in their life that has given them the most joy is the simple act of giving. In this inspiring book, Santi shares their stories – how they found purpose, healed from past wounds, and discovered meaning beyond material success – as well as her own personal struggles in finding happiness in order to inspire readers to discover the power of giving in their own lives. Told firsthand by such notable people as Academy Award winner Goldie Hawn, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, philanthropist Richard Rockefeller, environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, and many others, the stories in this book make an eloquent and passionate case that oftentimes the answers to the problems that haunt us, and the key to the happiness that eludes us, lie in helping others. In this book you will discover: - How altruism activates the same pleasure centers of the brain stimulated by food, sex, and drugs - Practical, universally applicable lessons on what kind of giving makes people happy and what doesn't. - How to give your time, talents, and treasures in ways that are more impact-oriented, energizing, and rewarding than ever In this inspiring book, Santi reveals giving is the secret to living a life that is full of meaning, purpose, and happiness.