Giving Is Good For Your Health
Medicine – and that warm state-of-mind – tell us that philanthropy and service can have many benefits
“The happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more,” author H. Jackson Brown Jr. famously wrote in “Life’s Little Instruction Book.”
And there are plenty of studies that reinforce that sentiment, solid evidence that volunteering and charitable giving benefit both the receiver and the giver. A study at Carnegie Mellon University published in the journal Psychology & Aging in 2013 discovered that adults over age 50 who volunteered regularly were less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who did not.
Rodlescia Sneed, lead author of that study, attributed the difference to volunteers generally being more physically active than more sedentary elders.
She also pointed out that volunteering tended to reduce stress levels. The study went as far as quantifying how much time a person needs to volunteer to gain health benefits: 200 hours per year for lower blood pressure.
In addition to that landmark Carnegie Melon report, other studies have observed a health benefit from as little as 100 volunteer hours per year. Published in Health Psychology, a 2012 study by a University of Michigan team determined that older people who volunteer with regularity tend to live longer than those who don’t, but only if their intentions were altruistic.
“Those who volunteered for self-oriented reasons had a mortality risk similar to nonvolunteers,” the study declares. In other words, you have to truly want to help others rather than just make yourself feel better.
Last year, the Cleveland Clinic published an article discussing “Why Giving is Good For Your Health” with input from psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD. Dr. Albers described how a chemical reaction takes place in your body whenever you do something nice - serotonin to regulate your mood, dopamine for a sense of pleasure, and oxytocin for a positive sense of connection with others.
Beyond the instant gratification, Dr. Albers said that giving can stimulate the brain’s mesolimbic pathway and release endorphins that boost self-esteem, combat depression, and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as lowering blood pressure and protecting your heart.
Dr. Albers also reconfirmed that studies show that people who volunteer tend to live longer than those that don’t. Research at the Mayo Clinic echoes the finding that volunteering offers “significant health benefits, especially for older adults.”
A report by Angela Thoreson on the Mayo Clinic website declares that volunteering improves the physical and mental health of adults over 60 and lowers rates of depression and anxiety for those over 65. Helping others also provides a much-needed sense of purpose, an opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends and strengthen existing relationships.
Practicing what it preaches, Mayo Clinic Health System offers numerous volunteer opportunities ranging from hospital greeters, patient transportation and even pet therapy to making blankets and hats for newborn babies and cancer patients.
The many volunteer opportunities in the Southland include schools, churches, museums, animal shelters and nonprofits, as well as organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Sierra Club, PATH and Serve LA. Dr. Albers points out that acts of service don’t have to cost money and can be as simple as walking a neighbor’s dog, joining a beach clean-up, or helping someone figure out new or updated technology. And it’s not just elders or retired people who can benefit.
A recent talent retention study by Benevity - a Calgary-based company that provides charitable donation-management, volunteer-management and grant-management platforms - found that giving and volunteering are important for younger people as well.
Looking at data from 10.6 million users at 400 companies, Benevity uncovered a strong link between employees engaged in a company’s corporate purpose program - including charitable giving, volunteering and other positive actions - and a heightened level of job retention.
One of the findings of the Benevity study was a 52% lower turnover rate among new employees when they participated in purpose programs.
Although it wasn’t the original intention in many cases, these corporate programs have also helped fill the disconnect young people have felt since the COVID-19 pandemic and having to start their working lives via online meeting software with minimal in-person interactions.
-Joe Yogerst