Volunteering is Healthy

Volunteers across the country have said for years they are healthier and happier because they make a difference in other people’s lives.

Science is catching up to this claim. Studies are beginning to demonstrate that the mental and physical benefits of volunteering are part of why people keep coming back to help. They just feel better! This is in spite of the fact that people who volunteer are often put in contact with individuals who are sick or victims of homelessness, a crime or natural disaster, or are lonely, despairing, or dying.

Empathy is experiencing another person’s feelings, while compassion is the recognition that someone is suffering and the desire to help that person. One must first have empathy before they can have compassion. It is thought that people who volunteer tend to have both of these emotions.

The physical effect of compassion on the brain is what many scientists have been studying for years. From the American Association of Psychological Science:

●     A study shared at a conference at Stanford University discussed people who describe themselves as very happy. These people tend to have lower levels of cellular inflammation, which can increase stress levels and risk for developing cancer). Researchers found this to be the case if people live with purpose, but not if people lived with much material wealth.

●     Another study found the area of the brain that lights up when a person experienced pleasure is the same area that is active when a person donates to a charity.

●     A study at the University of Buffalo concluded stress does not predict mortality for people who volunteer, but it is a good predictor in people who don’t volunteer.

●      Yet another study concluded not having social connections is more harmful than smoking, high blood pressure, or obesity. It builds a healthier immune system, helping people recover more quickly from disease, stay less anxious, and remain happier with better self-esteem.

All these studies confirm the idea that volunteering makes us both happier and healthier, despite whatever circumstances we volunteer in. Through all of it, volunteers keep smiles on their faces and on the faces of the people they help. In addition, they live longer, fueled by compassion.