Give till it helps

The act of giving has a growing list of benefits. Studies show that when a person gives money to a stranger or a charity, the "rewards area" of the brain gets busy. It's the same area that goes to town when the person eats a sugar cookie or finds a parking place at the mall or receives a gift of money from Ed McMahon.

Full-text article by Karen Ravn available via the Los Angeles Times, 12.24.07.