others that seems to make people feel happier and report greater health.”
Helping Hands Live
Longer We’ve all felt it: That blush of inner-warmth we get after we bring a plate of healthful, steaming food to a sick relative, volunteer to read to kids at a local preschool or help sort donations for a shelter. According to a 2010 survey of
4,500 Americans by United Healthcare, 68 percent of those that volunteered in the previous year reported that doing it made them feel physically healthier; 73 percent noted that it lowered their stress levels. Meanwhile, 29 percent of volun- teers that suffered from a chronic illness claimed that giving of their time helped them to better manage the illness. Other studies, by researchers
at Boston College, found that when chronic pain sufferers volunteered to help others with similar conditions, they saw their own pain and depression levels decrease. At least seven studies have shown that people that regularly volunteer or give of themselves live longer—especially if they do it for genuinely altruistic reasons. Cami Walker, 38, of Denver, has
experienced firsthand the physical benefits of being generous. After one sleepless night, lying awake and, “feel- ing sorry for myself,” due to a flare-up of her multiple sclerosis, she decided to take the advice of a spiritual teacher that suggested she, “Give something away each day for 29 days.”
On day one, she called a sick friend to offer her support. On day two, she dropped $5 in a hat for some street performers. Another day, she treated a friend to a foot massage. By day 14, she re- calls, “My body was stronger and I was able to stop walking with my cane. After months of
being too sick to work, I was able to go back part-time.” Walker subsequently wrote the
bestselling 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life. It has in- spired a global giving movement, with participants blogging about their expe- riences at
29Gifts.org. As she recently explained to The New York Times, “It’s about stepping outside of your own story long enough to make a connec- tion with someone else.”
The Helper’s High University of Michigan researcher Sara Konrath, Ph.D., has found that people engaging
“Just thinking about giving seems
to have a beneficial physiological impact,” says Post. For instance, a late 20th-century study by then Harvard Psychologist David McClelland found that when people watched a film about Mother Teresa’s work with orphans in Calcutta, levels of immunoglobulin A (a marker of immune strength) shot up. A more recent study found that peo- ple had higher levels of oxytocin in their blood after they had watched a moving film about an ill 4-year-old boy. Some research further suggests that
in acts that
benefit others tend to have more calm- ing hormones like oxytocin and progesterone coursing through their bodies. If pre- sented with a tough situation later, they are likely to react with a muted stress response, churning out fewer harmful stress hormones, such as cortisol and norepinephrine, and maintaining a calmer heart rate. Konrath is studying whether altruistic thoughts and behav- ior might also be associated with an anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
the act of giving may release natural opiates, such as endorphins, into our system. One landmark analysis of 1,700 people published in Psychology Today found that more than 68 percent experienced a “helper’s high” when physically helping another person, and 13 percent reported a decrease in aches and pains afterward. It’s a concept that’s been documented many times since. Meanwhile, new brain-imaging
research has shown that acts of giving (including making a charitable dona- tion) stimulate “reward centers” in the brain. This includes the mesolimbic pathway by which natural dopamine is released, leaving us feeling euphoric. On the flip side, “We found that
people that are high in narcissism and low in empathy have higher cortisol lev- els,” advises Konrath. “They walk around with high stress reactivity, which is really hard on the body.” One other clear example of the
health benefits of helping lies in the field of addiction research. Recent
natural awakenings
December 2011
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