The Science, and the Humanity, of Giving
By Daniel R. Weinberger, M.D. CEO & Director, Lieber Institute for Brain Development
Every December, we are reminded of the importance of giving. It is a season when people pause, reflect, and often decide to help others in ways both big and small. I’ve spent more than four decades studying the human brain, but you don’t have to be a neuroscientist to sense something universal about generosity. It changes the person who receives the gift, but, perhaps even more profoundly, it changes the giver.
In recent years, neuroscience has begun to explain why this is true.
When we give – whether time, resources, compassion, or support – multiple regions of the brain become active. Some of these, such as the region called the ventral striatum, are involved in reward and motivation. Others, like the prefrontal cortex, support empathy, reflection, and long-term decision making. Even circuits involved in stress reduction become engaged when acts of altruism feel connected to purpose.
In other words, giving is not just a social behavior. It is a biological one.
It is woven into the biological architecture of the human mind.
Studies have shown that generosity releases neurotransmitters such as dopamine and oxytocin, which can elevate mood, ease anxiety, and strengthen our sense of connection to others. In the field of psychiatry, where isolation, hopelessness, and overwhelming stress are often central features of illness, this insight matters. The science suggests that altruism can support mental well-being. It can literally change how the brain communicates with itself.
What Giving Has Meant for Brain Research
There is another dimension to this story, one that is deeply personal for all of us here at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.
Much of what we now understand about the human brain, and about complex psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar illness, has been made possible by acts of generosity. Individuals who suffer from mental illnesses and their families have given tirelessly to fight stigma and to support research. We work closely with families who have made the profoundly meaningful decision to donate brain tissue from a loved one so that others might one day experience less suffering. Their courage has advanced science more than they may ever know.
I often say that mental illness is the final frontier of medicine. Understanding the brain at the cellular and molecular levels is essential if we are ever going to discover treatments that are more effective, more targeted and more personal than the medications available today. Every breakthrough we have made – from mapping the human brain’s cellular architecture to pioneering new approaches in drug discovery – has been fueled by people who believed this work was important enough to support.
Why This Moment Matters
In the past few years we have learned more about how genes shape brain development, how environmental stressors activate specific brain circuits, and how particular cell types contribute to vulnerability or resilience to brain disorders than in all of past history. These dramatic insights are bringing us closer to the possibility of treatments designed not just to manage symptoms, but to address the underlying biology of psychiatric disorders and prevent them before they start.
But, like every research institution, our progress depends on partnership. Science is methodical by nature, but breakthroughs happen because people choose to invest in them, financially and emotionally. They decide that advancing knowledge is worth their support.
A Personal Invitation
As we enter the end of the year, I am reminded that giving is not simply a transaction. It is an expression of hope. A belief that the future can be different from the present. A statement that no family should have to walk through mental illness without better answers than the ones available today.
If you are able, I invite you to consider supporting the work of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development. Your generosity accelerates discovery. It funds young scientists. It expands our brain tissue program. It allows us to pursue innovative research that traditional funding rarely support. It permits pioneering work in designing drugs that target the root causes of illness, not just one symptom or another.
Most importantly, it brings us closer to a world where mental illnesses can be understood, prevented, and treated with the same precision we expect in every other branch of medicine.
From all of us at the Institute, thank you for being part of this journey. And thank you for believing in what the brain, and human kindness, can make possible.
About the Lieber Institute for Brain Development
The Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) brain research and drug discovery institute that brings together world-class neuroscientists, geneticists, data scientists, and drug developers around a single mission: to uncover the biological origins of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and transform those discoveries into real treatments—and ultimately, to prevent them. Home to the largest and most advanced human brain repository dedicated to psychiatric research, LIBD integrates cutting-edge genetics, multi-omics, AI-driven analytics, and translational drug discovery to identify the root causes of disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Based in Baltimore and affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, LIBD accelerates scientific insights into new therapies that improve and save lives.
Your Support Makes Discovery Possible
If you feel moved to support this mission, we welcome your partnership in whatever form is right for you.
You may give through our Donation Page, or learn about meaningful alternatives in our Guide to Non-Cash Giving.