According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey - a survey of 30,000 households - people who gave money to charity were 43% more likely than non-givers to say that they were "very happy" about their lives.

Similarly, volunteers were 42% more likely to be very happy than non-volunteers.

People who give are also less sad and depressed.
The University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics reveals that people who gave money to charity were 34% less likely than non-givers to say that they had felt "so sad that nothing could cheer them up."
They were also 68% less likely to have felt "hopeless" and 24% less likely to have said that "everything was an effort."

Moreover, the happiness difference between givers and non-givers is not due to differences in their personal characteristics, income or religion.

A number of studies have researched exactly why giving to charity leads to happiness.
The conclusion is that giving affects our brain chemistry and results in a feeling of euphoria. Giving to charity also lowers the stress hormones

So go ahead and make a resolution to be more cheerful and make a donation today!