Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
“Whereas philosophers pondered on the essence of generosity for years, and economists studied generosity as a set of strategies guiding people’s behavior in situations where resources are limited, little empirical research studied its psychological aspects such as decision making processes. Even less research has investigated the enhancement of generosity…
People high on attachment avoidance were less likely to experience the positive affective outcomes of generosity; whereas people high on attachment anxiety tended to experience more negative feelings associated with generous encounters. Furthermore, attachment avoidance was negatively associated with the tendency to behave generously within close relationships.
This shows that attachment avoidance associates with the tendency to be generous, potentially because avoidance attenuates the rewarding aspects of generosity. Whereas anxiety was also associated with the emotional aspects of generosity, it was not associated with behaving generously. These findings are in line with past research on attachment style and prosocial constructs, showing that avoidance predicts the behavioral tendency, whereas anxiety associates with motivations and emotions.”
Gillath, Atchley, Imran, and El-Hodiri in “Examining the Experience and Enhancement of Generous Behavior via Attachment Security” research presented at the International Association for Relationship Research Conference in Chicago, IL in 2012.
I’ve shifted my focus for the foreseeable future from ancient to modern research related to generosity.
Yesterday’s study opened up research on attachment and generosity. Again, most studies show four kinds of attachment: Anxious (or Preoccupied), Avoidant (or Dismissive), Disorganized (or Fear-Avoidant), and Secure.
We find that the research shows that avoidant attachment results in less generosity and the more secure people feel, the more generous they become. It makes sense.
The piece that seems to make everything pivot is anxiety. Anxiety limits, hinders, dampens, slows, and can even thrwart generosity. The research proves it.
No wonder the Apostle Peter instructed us to give our anxieties to the Lord! He cares for us better than we could ever care for ourselves. Next I may pivot to see the connection between anxiety and wealth.
I wonder if people who hold on to more money, as containers, have more anxiety than those who have less and who serve as conduits of blessing. It seems that giving really does help us take hold of life.