For these reasons, Joe and I decided to do an experiment in which we instruct some people to be "givers" (i.e., do acts of kindness for others in their communities or workplaces), while others will be either lucky "receivers" of the kind acts, simple "observers" of these acts, or none of the above. Furthermore, we will be able to track who does what for whom (and who witnesses it and who passes it forward and to whom, etc.) by using a new technology: Everyone involved in our study will wear sensors on a badge or wristband that will detect actual social interactions (e.g., who is talking to whom).

We think this will be a very cool study. (And, indeed, if anyone reading this knows a workplace/company/organization that would be interested in having their members participate, let me know.) It has some novel and unique elements in it. We will be studying everyday generosity in a real-world naturalistic setting, using technology that allows us to capture face-to-face interactions, and using an experimental design that allows us to infer what causes what. These improvements over previous studies should help us discover whether generosity can truly be contagious - not just whether generosity spreads out from the original "receivers" but via ripple effects to second-degree or even third-degree "connectors," as well as to those who simply happen to observe a particular kind act. But our interest isn't purely scientific. Generosity has been found to make people happier, and happiness has been shown in many studies to render people healthier, more creative and productive at work, and more successful in their friendships and marriages.

Does the "pay it forward" effect really exist? How does generosity inspire others? Is giving really better than receiving? We're going to find out.