Studies Show the Secret to Happiness is in Helping Others...

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​Scientific research provides compelling data to support the anecdotal evidence that giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness. Through fMRI technology, we now know that giving activates the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by food and sex. Experiments show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain—and it’s pleasurable. Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful.​ Happiness is as simple as giving.

 

 

Giving makes us feel happy...

 

Psychological research finds that people who practice giving consistently report a host of benefits: ​

These good feelings are reflected in our biology, it activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust, creating a “warm glow” effect. Scientists also believe that altruistic behavior releases endorphins in the brain, producing the positive feeling known as the “helper’s high.”

 

The psychological benefits...

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·         Higher levels of positive emotions

·         More alert, alive, and awake

·         More joy and pleasure

·         More optimism and happiness

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Giving is good for our health...

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Researchers suggest that one reason giving may improve physical health and longevity is that it helps decrease stress, which is associated with a variety of health problems.

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The physical benefits...

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·         Stronger immune systems

·         Less bothered by aches and pains

·         Lowered blood pressure

·         Exercised more and taking better care of their health

·         Sleeping longer and feeling more refreshed upon waking

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Giving promotes cooperation and social connection...

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The more extensive the reciprocal altruism born of social connection . . . the greater the advance toward health, wealth, and happiness. What’s more, when we give to others, we don’t only make them feel closer to us; we also feel closer to them. Being kind and generous leads you to perceive others more positively and more charitably, and this “fosters a heightened sense of interdependence and cooperation in your social community.”

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The social benefits...

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·         More forgiving

·         More outgoing

·         Feeling less lonely and isolated

·         More helpful, generous, and compassionate

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Giving evokes gratitude...

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Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of a gift, that gift can elicit feelings of gratitude—it can be a way of expressing gratitude or instilling gratitude in the recipient. And research has found that gratitude is integral to happiness, health, and social bonds. Cultivating gratitude in everyday life is one of the keys to increasing personal happiness. When you express your gratitude in words or actions, you not only boost your own positivity but other people’s as well.

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Giving is contagious...

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When we give, we don’t only help the immediate recipient of our gift. We also spur a ripple effect of generosity through our community. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows that when one person behaves generously, it inspires observers to behave generously later, toward different people. In fact, the researchers found that altruism could spread by three degrees—from person to person to person to person. “As a result,” they write, “each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of whom he or she does not know and has not met."

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What will you do to achieve happiness?

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