SEPOY.net
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, July 10, 2025
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Economy
  • Crypto
  • Travel
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Economy
  • Crypto
  • Travel
No Result
View All Result
SEPOY.NET
No Result
View All Result
Home Health

Doing Good Really Is Good for You

Nicholas by Nicholas
October 28, 2022
in Health
0

If you’ve ever served Thanksgiving dinner at a  shelter, rung the bell for the Salvation Army, laced up your sneakers for a charity run/walk, or donated to a favorite nonprofit, you probably recall a moment of feeling like you’d done something good. Social scientists call that feeling of satisfaction the “helper’s high.” 

It’s good for your body, toosays Stephen G. Post, PhD, author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping. “We have begun to discover that there is something going on, physiologically, in this process of helping others that makes people not only feel happier but also report greater health,” Post says.

READ ALSO

AI reveals hidden bias behind higher amputation rates in minority and rural patients

Digital platform supports personalized diet goals in primary care for diabetes

As far back as 1988, an analysis of 1,700 female volunteers found that 68% said they felt a sense of calm after volunteering, akin to what they got from exercise. Decades later, studies used MRI image scans to track brain activity to explain why. In one small study of 19 people, merely cutting a check to charity lit up the brain’s mesolimbic reward system, sending feel-good chemicals in the body. When that generosity is practiced face-to-face, levels of oxytocin (the calming hormone released when a mother nurses her baby) and pain-killing endorphins also rise, Post says.

When we shift our minds away from our own troubles to focus on others’ needs, levels of stress hormones like cortisol fall. One study tracked 1,654 older adults over 4 years. During that time, those who volunteered at least 200 hours per year were 40% less likely to get high blood pressure than non-volunteers.

An evolutionary reason may partly explain why our reward centers light up when we help someone else. Working in a team, Post says, could have helped us survive as a species. 

How to Choose a Volunteer Activity

You’d love to help out. But with so many great organizations and causes, how do you get started?

Look for opportunities that are meaningful for you and fit your interests and personality. Would you like to use your job skills? Would you prefer to do something active and outdoors, like cleaning up a park or helping build a trail, or a quieter indoor activity such as helping with a literacy organization? Would you rather volunteer with a big group of people or focus on smaller projects? 

Also, consider your schedule. You can decide if you want to volunteer on a regular basis or just now and then.  
These are the best ways to get the most out of volunteering, according to Post:

Help others dealing with something you’ve faced yourself. Studies show people recovering from alcohol use disorders are more likely to stay sober when they help others in recovery from problem drinking. Likewise, some people with chronic pain reported less pain when, as a trained volunteer, they helped someone with a similar condition.

Do what you’re good at. When volunteers feel like they’re just in the way, the experience can backfire and boost their stress. Choose a volunteer opportunity where you can make a real contribution.

Mean it. Those who contribute to organizations they’re passionate about tend to see stronger physical responses. “Motivation matters,” Post says. “When people are genuinely altruistic in their actions, they have a better response.”

Source

Tags: stressvolunteervolunteering

Related Posts

AI reveals hidden bias behind higher amputation rates in minority and rural patients
Health

AI reveals hidden bias behind higher amputation rates in minority and rural patients

July 10, 2025
Digital platform supports personalized diet goals in primary care for diabetes
Health

Digital platform supports personalized diet goals in primary care for diabetes

July 9, 2025
Exercise improves cancer outcomes by shaping the gut microbiome
Health

Exercise improves cancer outcomes by shaping the gut microbiome

July 9, 2025
Healthy plant-based diet linked with reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease
Health

Healthy plant-based diet linked with reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease

July 9, 2025
More fiber, fewer health risks: evidence for this easy diet fix
Health

More fiber, fewer health risks: evidence for this easy diet fix

July 9, 2025
Why vitamin B6 could raise the risk of hypoglycemia for people with diabetes
Health

Why vitamin B6 could raise the risk of hypoglycemia for people with diabetes

July 9, 2025
Next Post

6 Ways To Help Customers Find Your Local Store

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About

Sepoy.net is a perfect place for people who want daily updates on news related to business, technology, entertainment, health, cryptocurrency etc.

Contact: hello@sepoy.net

Major Categories

News

Business

Tech

Economy

 

Recent Posts

  • Western Casino poker: Regulations and features for the Pokerdom
  • Spin Huge Wins that have Gnome Nice Family wild panda slot rtp Harbors in the Coinbets777
  • Vulkan Vegas Local casino No deposit Extra 15 Totally free Revolves!

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Sepoy.net

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • News
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel

© 2023 Sepoy.net