A growing body of research has revealed numerous psychological and physiological benefits of giving, challenging common conceptions about the relationship between money and happiness.
Greater self-esteem and satisfaction with life
Much of the research focuses on volunteering for organizations or informally helping loved ones. Researchers consistently find that these activities can lead to greater self-esteem, life satisfaction and sense of purpose. But volunteering can give a sense of purpose to people of all ages.
Lower risk of depression
Perhaps because of such positive feelings, giving may decrease your risk of depression and depressive symptoms such as sadness or lack of energy.
One study of older adults found that those who helped their loved ones experienced greater feelings of personal control over their lives. This feeling, in turn, decreased the likelihood that they would experience depressive symptoms.
Better physical health
Depression and lack of self-esteem have both been linked with heart disease and other health conditions. This link may partially explain why volunteering can lead to both better mental health and better physical health.
Working toward a goal and feeling like you are making a contribution to society likely increases your sense of purpose in life, which contributes to both psychological and physical health.
A longer life
Even if you already have heart disease, giving your time may have protective benefits.
In many studies, researchers have linked giving to decreased mortality, or risk of death. The link might have something to do with the sense of purpose it can bring.
Volunteering boosts health. Elderly people who volunteer are 44 percent less likely to die over a 5-year period than those who don’t. The results found that volunteering boosts well-being, no matter one’s baseline.
Giving produces a “warm glow.” Literally. Research has shown that prosocial behavior can cause body temperature to rise. More broadly, warm-glow giving describes a phenomenon where people feel pleasure when they spend money on others. Originally introduced as an economic model that framed giving as a good but selfish act, the phenomenon has since been studied by scientists, who generally agree that giving releases feel-good neurochemicals like oxytocin and endorphins. The “helper’s high” is a similar concept.
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