The specific way that you spend on other people isn't nearly as important as the fact that you spend on other people.

The quote distills a central finding from behavioral science on “prosocial spending”: giving money to others tends to increase the giver’s happiness more reliably than spending on oneself. Norton’s emphasis is that the psychological benefit comes primarily from the outward orientation—using resources to help, treat, or support someone else—rather than from optimizing the exact form of the gift. In other words, the act of directing spending toward others (donations, gifts, paying for a shared experience) matters more than perfecting the method. The line also pushes back against overthinking generosity: small, imperfect, or varied ways of spending on others can still produce meaningful emotional and social returns.