Professor Dr. Karl Aquino of the University of British Columbia, Canada and Dr. Brent McFerran, assistant professor at the University of Michigan, USA, conducted a study in which participants were encouraged to describe themselves in positive ways such as honest and kind.

Later, during an exercise involving sharing money with a stranger, those individuals gave 32% more than their counterparts who had used neutral words. Furthermore, people who read a story about an altruistic act gifted 24% more than those who didn’t.

Our appreciation, Dr. Karl Aquino and Dr. Brent McFerran, for highlighting the importance of noble expressions and deeds. May exemplary acts continue to inspire humanity to goodness and virtue.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-media-uncommon-goodness-good-people.html
http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx
http://web.me.com/brentmcferran/Brents_Website/CV_files/Brent%20McFerran%20CV%20Oct%20web.pdf