Did you know that there are health benefits of giving? In other words, did you know that when you give to others, you improve your health in certain ways?
Well, there are, and you’re about to read three of them.
Keep in mind, though, if you’re not much of a giver, it isn’t too late to start. And giving doesn’t have to mean extravagant gifts. It’s about showing care and sometimes giving your undivided attention can be the most precious gift.
Happiness
Although western ideology equates receiving with pleasure, human beings actually feel good when they give to others. The first health benefit of giving on this list is happiness, because when we give others, we tend to feel good and happy.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, ‘when researchers from the National Institutes of Health looked at the functional MRIs of subjects who gave to various charities, they found that giving stimulates the mesolimbic pathway, which is the reward center in the brain — releasing endorphins and creating what is known as the “helper’s high.” And like other highs, this one is addictive, too.’
Depression
Giving can lower the risk of depression. According to the Rush University Medical Center, “one study of older adults found that those who helped their loved ones experienced greater feelings of personal control over their lives. This feeling, in turn, decreased the likelihood that they would experience depressive symptoms.”
Social Benefits
When you give, you often create a chain of ongoing giving say studies. So giving “strengthens our ties to each other.” That means that one generous act on your part can have far wider social benefits for people you had no intention of helping, and as a result people are closer to each other than before.
How do you give?
Please share in the comments below.