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…reluctance to be assertive is especially likely to afflict agreeable givers, who pay a price in their pocketbooks.

…in short-term, single-issue negotiations givers do worse than takers, because they’re willing to give larger slices of the pie to their counterparts.

Givers, particularly agreeable ones, often overestimate the degree to which assertiveness might be off-putting to others.

By looking for opportunities to benefit others and themselves, otherish givers are able to think in more complex ways and identify win-win solutions…

Instead of assuming they’re doomed to become doormats, successful givers recognize that their everyday choices shape the results they achieve in competitive, confrontational situations.

…when they feel inclined to back down, successful givers are prepared to draw reserves of assertiveness from their commitments to the people who matter to them.

If a group develops a norm of giving, members will uphold the norm and give, even if they’re more inclined to be takers or matchers elsewhere.

Common ground is a major influence on giving behaviors.

People are motivated to give to others when they identify as part a common community.

“Legitimizing small contributions draws in takers, making it difficult and embarrassing for them to say no, without dramatically reducing the amount donated by givers.”