June 6th, 2012

Psychologists who have researched the psychology of giving for many years have said that giving gifts is a complex and important part of human interaction, helping to define relationships and strengthen bonds with family and friends. They have also said it is often the giver, rather than the recipient, who reaps the biggest psychological gains from a gift.

And now today's technologically savvy giver can feel the joy of giving even faster – through mobile giving – when donating funds to one of the Akron area's most unique museums and historical archives.

David Baker, the Margaret Clark Morgan Executive Director of the Center for the History of Psychology, unveiled the CHP's new mobile giving campaign recently at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago. It's a fact that charitable giving provides human beings with an emotional lift, he said.

Opportunity to help preserve history

Supporters of The University of Akron's Center for the History of Psychology are now able to help the distinctive, Smithsonian Institution-affiliated program that cares for, provides access to, and interprets the historical record of psychology and related human sciences meet its mission by simply pulling out their cellphones and texting the word PSYCH to 50555. The text will result in a $10 donation that will be used to help the center preserve and add to its vast historical collection of treasures from the history of psychology.

"Psychological science offers abundant evidence that giving makes us feel better," said Baker, adding that texting not only makes it easier for us to donate, but also makes us feel good more quickly in an era of instant gratification. He also sees the ever-evolving technology as a great opportunity to help the CHP's worthy cause. "Combining the cognitive benefits of giving, the omnipresence of texting behavior and the opportunity for giving in relatively small amounts, I am confident we can encourage a broad audience to help support the CHP."

The center has partnered with mGive, a nonprofit organization that facilitates mobile giving to charitable causes. As the largest mobile giving platform in the world, mGive has been behind some of the most visible and successful mobile donation campaigns, including the Red Cross campaign that followed the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010. UA will be among the first universities and colleges to partner with mGive.

Text donations to the center will support the continued growth and expansion of the CHP's museum and archives.

Provided by University of Akron

This PHYSorg Science News Wire page contains a press release issued by an organization mentioned above and is provided to you “as is” with little or no review from Phys.Org staff.

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