Beyond income: the role of generosity in happiness among urban Malays in Kuala Lumpur

Focusing on five forms of generosity (i.e., financial generosity, material generosity, volunteering time and effort, sharing knowledge and advice, and lending or sharing possession), this study examined the relationship between generosity and happiness among urban Malays in Kuala Lumpur. Drawing from a sample of N = 942 Malays with varied household income levels, regression analysis, supplemented by White-heteroskedasticity correction and bootstrapped standard errors, and robust regression using Huber’s M-estimator were performed. The results show that both generosity and household income are positively associated with happiness, with generosity showing a larger standardized coefficient. Financial generosity (β = 0.20) and lending or sharing possessions (β = 0.19) show the strongest associations among the generosity domains. Financial generosity may offer greater flexibility and more immediate benefits, while lending or sharing possessions may enhance happiness through everyday reciprocity and social connectedness. Material generosity, volunteering time and effort, and sharing knowledge or advice show weaker associations with happiness, compared to income, possibly due to time constraints in urban Malay metropolitan life or the more intangible, delayed nature of their benefits. Socioeconomic factors, including health status, social support, perceptions of corruption, and freedom to make life choices, also emerge as significant predictors of happiness, alongside household income. Freedom to make life decisions (β = 0.36) showed a larger standardized coefficient than any other factor, highlighting its central importance. This study’s findings may provide useful insights for policymakers targeting generosity-based promotion of well-being, with implications for cultural preservation and modern social arrangements in rapidly urbanised environments.

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