How Helping Others Can Help You

"For it is in giving that we receive" — Saint Francis of Assisi

"The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity" — Leo Tolstoy

"We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give" — Winston Churchill

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” ― Anne Frank, Diary of Anne Frank

"Making money is a happiness; making other people happy is a super-happiness" — Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus

It seems that helping others and giving back is more than just a nice thing to do. In fact, studies indicate that the very act of giving back to the community boosts your happiness, health, and sense of well-being. For example, volunteering doesn’t just make the world better—it also makes you better. Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that's healthier as well as being happier and more meaningful. 

Our passion for helping others should be the basis for our giving. We should be focused on the compassion we offer to others. It's not the amount we give, but how much love we put into giving. This is often referred to as Loving Kindness. Consider the difference between donating your time versus donating your money. 

We don’t all have the same amount of money, but we all do have extra time on our hands. As a result, we can give some of this time to help others. That could mean we just give a few hours each day or maybe a few days a year or even give an entire lifetime to service. The gift of time is often more valuable to the receiver and more satisfying for the giver than the gift of money. 

Furthermore, time can actually have a larger impact than just a finite amount of money. If you volunteer at a soup kitchen once a month, for example, you may have a greater impact on more people by helping to feed them than any amount of money you might realistically donate. It's the personal impact you make that counts. Actions like this also have benefits for you.

Below are five scientific benefits you can derive from lending a hand to those in need.

1. HELPING OTHERS CAN HELP YOU LIVE LONGER. 

Want to extend your lifespan? Think about regularly assisting at a soup kitchen or helping students read at an at-risk high school. Research has shown that these kinds of activities can improve health in ways that can length your lifespan. Volunteers show an improved ability to manage stress and stave off disease. 

Volunteers also display reduced rates of depression and an increased sense of life satisfaction when their acts of volunteering were performed on a regular basis. This might be because volunteering alleviates loneliness and enhances our social lives. These are factors that can significantly affect our long-term health.

2. ALTRUISM IS CONTAGIOUS. 

When one person performs a good deed, it causes a chain reaction of other altruistic acts. One study found that people are more likely to conduct generous acts such as make donations after observing another do the same. Some of this is related to social structure that encourages others to follow suit. This effect can ripple throughout the community, inspiring dozens of individuals to make a difference. 

Experiments also show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain—and it's pleasurable. Think about how you felt the last time you gave someone food, or a homeless person something to drink or got a neighbor's paper for them. You felt better by just lending a helping hand because you know you're making a direct impact. It's also the one to one personal interaction that intensifies the feeling.

3. HELPING OTHERS MAKES US HAPPY. 

Just like the examples above, think about the last time you did something generous and offered your time and service to benefit others. Odds are you felt wonderful and may have even had a certain "glow" about you after helping others. One team of sociologists tracked 2,000 people over a five-year period and found that Americans who described themselves as “very happy” volunteered nearly six hours per month. 

This heightened sense of well-being might be the byproduct of being more physically active as a result of volunteering or because it makes us more socially active. We're human and our social connections are vital to us. Researchers also think that giving back might give individuals a mental boost by providing them with a neurochemical sense of reward. 

4. HELPING OTHERS LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE. 

If you have heart problems, such as heart disease or high blood pressure, you've probably received medical warnings. Your doctor likely told you to reduce red meat consumption, lower the hours at your stressful job and increase healthy exercise. However, you should also consider adding something to your routine: a regular volunteer schedule. 

One piece of research showed that older individuals who volunteered for at least 200 hours a year decreased their risk of hypertension by as much as 40 percent. This could possibly be because they were provided with more social opportunities, which help relieve loneliness and the stress that often accompanies it. By reducing the stress component, these older individuals probably lowered their cortisol levels, which helped reduced plaque and the associated hardening of the arteries. 

Bottom line, volunteering helped their heart health.

5. HELPING OTHERS GIVES US A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND SATISFACTION. 

Looking for more meaning in your daily existence? Studies show that volunteering enhances an individual’s overall sense of purpose and identity. This is especially true if they no longer hold a life-defining role like “worker” or “parent.” Imagine the direct impact you can have by volunteering your time to help another. You can feel the benefit flow back to you multiplied and also feel your own significance improve, knowing you've done something to help another. 

Many of us have free time that we can offer to benefit others in need. Given the state of the world today, we need many more people helping others who are seeking a helping hand. Your little act can mean something huge to someone who needs you. Never discount how valuable you can be, Think of volunteering at a soup kitchen or a library or a school and realize the magnificent impact you'll have on those you serve. Then look into the mirror and see how much you are truly loved. 

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Tags: love, volunteering, happiness, satisfaction, altruism, sense of purpose, loving kindess, living spiritually, god, great spirit, source