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Lost wallets get returned more often than you might think – and trusting strangers to do it makes us happier. This intriguing fact comes from the real-life experiences of people like Jordan Cue and John Helliwell, who have experienced the kindness of strangers in unexpected ways.
The Unexpected Kindness of Strangers
Jordan Cue once lost his wallet at a pool party in Arizona, losing his ID and about $500 in the process. Assuming it was gone forever, he was pleasantly surprised when a stranger from Baltimore, Maryland contacted him via social media to return his wallet, with all his cards and money still intact.
Returning the Favor
Interestingly, despite his firsthand experience with the kindness of a stranger, Cue still believes that most people would take the money and run. However, he proved himself wrong when he found a gift card in an envelope at his workplace, an underground parking lot. He made the effort to Google the name, contacted the owner via email, and personally delivered the gift card to the owner’s mailbox.
Studying Happiness and Trust
The owner of the gift card turned out to be John Helliwell, a renowned happiness expert with a keen interest in studying lost wallets. According to his research, people who believe they are likely to return a lost wallet often doubt that a stranger would do the same. However, his findings reveal that lost wallets get returned approximately two-thirds of the time in Canada. Dr. Helliwell suggests that our happiness would be higher if we were more optimistic about our fellow citizens and the potential for their kindness.
The Impact of Trust on Happiness
Dr. Helliwell is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report. His research shows a strong correlation between a person’s trust in others to return lost wallets and their level of individual happiness. The 2021 World Happiness Report found that people who believe a lost wallet is “very likely” to be returned also reported significantly higher well-being.
Trusting in the Goodness of Others
Trust in the goodness of others can boost our happiness more than increases to income or perceived safety from crime or health problems. This is even more significant considering that most people underestimate the likelihood of their lost wallets being returned by strangers.
Trust in Strangers: Reality vs Perception
Despite the perception that strangers are less trustworthy, real-world experiments show that strangers often return lost wallets more frequently than expected. In a 2019 study published in Science, researchers found that wallets with money were significantly more likely to be returned than those without money. The study suggests that people value their self-image as honest individuals and seek to maintain this image in the eyes of others.
The Importance of Trust in Society
Trust is crucial for a cooperative and caring society. The more a person sees themselves as honest, the more honestly they act. And the more witnesses to their honest deeds, the more citizens adopt the same behavior. This trust can increase with age as people have more positive experiences with life’s lost wallets, both literal and metaphorical.
Believing in Benevolence
Dr. Helliwell believes in the power of benevolence and the impact it has on our happiness. He insists that there are kind people out there, and adopting a more optimistic view of others not only brings us joy, but also fosters a society where people genuinely care about each other. And in his words, “Take off your dark glasses, and look carefully, and you’ll be happier.”
