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The feel-good factor of volunteering (October 09, 2008)

 

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.

Sir Winston Churchill
 
 

Volunteering can boost your feel-good factor and you can enjoy a long-lasting effect.

 

The health benefits of volunteering and making a difference to another without any expectation of a reward have the subject of a number of studies.  That deep feel-good factor which comes from helping without any expectation of reward makes your heart glow and feel warm inside, while you feel a rush and really alive. The feeling lasts for hours; in fact, when you remember the action you took, you feel good.

 
Research has shown that helping others and kind acts can act as a powerful antidote to stress, pain and insomnia (Allan Luks, The Healing Power of Doing Good, New York 1991).
Allan Luks asked over 3,000 Americans involved in 20 organisations throughout the US to participate in a survey.  They were asked 17 questions about how they felt when they did a kind act.  Volunteers reported physical sensations in the form of a rush of euphoria, now known as a helpers high.  (This is similar to that experienced with exercise.)
 

The initial rush was followed by a period of improved emotional wellbeing, which lasted for several weeks.  In fact, when respondents recalled their voluntary actions, the euphoric feeling came back.  A computerised analysis of the survey’s results showed Luks a clear relationship between helping and good health.

 
In his book, Why Good Things Happen to Good People, Stephen Post commented that “the helper’s high ash been measured physically – there is an actual physiological state which is quite euphoric.  The high shows up on MRI scans, and for instance, people who give money show brain activity that’s associated with feel-good chemicals such as dopamine.
 
Later, (1988) Growald and Luks report that not only doing good but just thinking about altruistic action may give the immune system a boost.
 
The fact that volunteering can help reduce stress levels is particularly important, because stress lies at the root cause of many illnesses. In The Stress of Life, Hungarian physicist Hans Selye called for a new way of life that would reduce the negative effects of stress; his remedy was to do good for oneself by making the effort to do good for others.
 
The fact sheet Volunteering as a Vehicle for Social Support and Life Satisfaction published by the Public Health Agency of Canada notes that volunteering boosts wellbeing because it enhances social networks.  There are many knock-on effects to this:

·         Lower premature death rates

·         Fewer heath risk factors

·         Greater self-esteem – you know you’re needed

·         Personal coping skills and resources

·         Eases the stress of life

·         Enhances levels of trust

·         Reduces anger and hostility

Many people and animals have been sufficiently touched by someone who reached out to lend a hand that it’s changed their lives forever.  They just needed someone to care.  What would it feel like to know that you have that impact? And wouldn’t you like to enjoy the feel-good factor of volunteering that comes not just immediately after you’ve done your kind deed but as you remember it, weeks later?


So there you go.  Volunteer, do a kind act, make a difference and boost your feel-good factor.  Make it a habit!   There are lots of animals out there who would really welcome a helping hand and a paw, as would the charities who care for them, and lots of ways in which you can help. 

 
 
Boost your feel-good factor - get out there and volunteer!

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Always consult your doctor before
starting any exercise programme or wellbeing change
 
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