3 Big Benefits of Giving
Abraham Lincoln said, “To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” To that end, Savvy Psychologist explains how giving can actually benefit the giver even more than the recipient. Check out the 3 big benefits of altruism.
Altruism is tricky.
We’re more willing to help one person than many (that’s why aid organizations profile a specific child when asking for donations). We’re more likely to give when we have less (wealthy people give a smaller percentage of their income to charity and are more likely to cut back during hard times). Even that long-held Darwinian notion of selfishness – survival of the fittest – is being re-thought.
Turns out “fittest” actually means “nicest.” Indeed, evolutionarily, those who play well with others are more likely to survive than those who go it alone. What are some other perks of being nice? This week, let’s look at the 3 big benefits of giving:
Benefit #1: Giving May Extend Your Life (with Conditions)
One theory is that giving to others builds social connection, which in turns buffers us against stress and thereby makes us healthier. A 2013 meta-analysis, or a study of studies, found that volunteering reduced the risk of dying in adults 55 and over by 24%, even when taking their health into account.
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Another study from 2011 followed over 10,000 people for nearly 50 years and found that those who volunteered over the last 4 years of the study had a lower risk of dying than non-volunteers, especially if they volunteered regularly and frequently.
However, it wasn’t just the fact that they volunteered that protected them. Looking deeper, only those who volunteered out of true altruism – wanting to help others or feeling compassion for those in need – reaped the rewards of longer life. Those who volunteered as an escape from their own problems or to feel better about themselves had the same mortality risk as those who didn’t volunteer at all.
And of course, if you feel you have no choice but to give or giving takes up all your time, it’s not altruism anymore – it’s duty. Giving that overwhelms the giver takes a big toll. For example, a 2005 study established that 25% of Alzheimer’s caregivers have clinically significant anxiety, while another 10% suffer from depression. And a study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association found that the stress of caring for a cancer patient increases the caregiver’s risk of dying by 63%, even up to 5 years after the patient’s passing.
See also: Caring for Someone with a Serious Illness (Part 1) and (Part 2)
To sum up, give genuinely and regularly, but if at all possible, stay within your own capabilities.
Benefit #2: Giving Is Linked to a Stronger Immune System
There are two kinds of happiness and your body can tell the difference, which, personally, blows my mind a little.
The first kind of happiness is self-gratification – what you feel when you eat a cupcake or win a few bucks at your weekly poker night.
The other kind of happiness comes from a sense of meaning and direction – what you feel when you contribute.
Now, happiness from self-gratification isn’t necessarily bad – indeed, this time of year, life without Christmas cookies or presents would be kinda sad. But only the happiness that comes from meaning and purpose strengthens your immunity.
How does this happen? Well, now we’re going to get even more nerdy than usual, so push up your glasses – here we go:
First let’s talk about gene expression. Think back to 8th grade science. Your genes store information, much like a cookbook. When genes are expressed, it’s as if the book is opened and a recipe is made. And the product of our genes’ recipes are most often proteins.
See also: Personal Genetics: DNA, SNPs, GWAs, and Haplotypes
Now, if you’re under constant stress (say you can never make ends meet, don’t know if you’ll have a job next week, or are in an abusive relationship, for example), your gene expression will likely create more proteins that are associated with chronic inflammation. You’ll also create fewer proteins that are involved in fighting off viruses and bad bacteria.
This kind of gene expression is a sign of high “conserved transcriptional response to adversity,” or CTRA. A high CTRA is associated with all sorts of health risks – higher chances of heart disease, infections, neurodegenerative diseases, just to name a few.
OK, so let’s tie this back to altruism. In a 2013 study out of UCLA, researchers found that people reporting high levels of happiness from meaningful and purposeful activities – helping others, contributing to society – had a low CTRA, the kind of immune response profile we want. On the other hand, people whose happiness came primarily from hedonistic self-gratification had the high CTRA profile we’d prefer to stay away from. In short, our genes can tell if we’re helping.
What’s even crazier? The participants in the study reported happiness as happiness – there was no difference in how people felt, regardless of whether their happiness came from self-gratification or meaningful altruism, but their immune systems still played out differently.
Benefit #3: Giving Is Linked With Better Mental Health
In a study of more than 2,000 churchgoers, researchers found that both helping and receiving help from others in the congregation was linked to better mental health. Intuitive so far, right? (FYI, they defined “mental health” as a combination of better mood, less anxiety, feeling energetic, good social relationships, and being able to do one’s work well.)
See also: Mental Health Homepage
But the strongest predictor of being mentally healthy wasn’t receiving help, it was helping others. Now, as a good scientist, I have to say in addition to the possibility that helping makes you healthy, it’s also possible that being mentally healthy in the first place allows you to help others.
The rewards? Compared to the women who received support, the volunteers showed greater improvement in depression, confidence, and self-esteem, just to name a few.
So let’s look at an old 1980 study for more clues. In this one, retired senior citizens who volunteered were compared to those who didn’t volunteer. Even after the researchers ruled out the possibility that being sick or disabled prevented the non-volunteers from signing up, the volunteers’ mental health still came out on top. Specifically, they scored significantly lower on depression, anxiety, and somatization, which is expressing psychological stress as physical symptoms. Plus, they scored way higher on satisfaction with life.
In a final example, a 1999 study followed a group of women with multiple sclerosis in a peer support program – some were volunteer peer supporters, and some received support from the volunteers. After 3 years, it became clear that that everyone did well, but the benefits for the volunteers were even bigger than the benefits for the people they helped.
The rewards? Compared to the women who received support, the volunteers showed greater improvement in depression, confidence, and self-esteem, just to name a few. And in interviews, the volunteers talked about a dramatic positive change in how they thought of themselves and their ability to make a difference.
Looks like the cards are stacking up in favor of altruism leading to good mental health.
To wrap up, think about the end of A Christmas Carol. After the transformative visits from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, the more Scrooge gives to others, the happier, more vital, and less scrooge-ish he becomes. He learned the true meaning of Christmas and was better off for it.
For all of you, I wish you a happy, healthy holiday season. Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next year!
How will you give this year? Share your thoughts with us on the Savvy Psychologist Facebook page. And be sure to sign up for the upcoming Savvy Psychologist newsletter. It will arrive in your inbox in 2015, chock full of great advice to help you meet life’s challenges head on.
References
Fredrickson, B.L., Grewen, K.M., Coffey, K.A., Algoe, S.B., Firestine, A.M., Arevalo, J.M.G. et al. (2013). A functional genomic perspective on human well-being. PNAS, 110, 13684-13689.
Hunter, K.I. & Linn, M.W. (1980-1981). Psychosocial differences between elderly volunteers and non-volunteers. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 12, 205-213.
Konrath, S., Fuhrel-Forbis, A., Lou, A. & Brown, S. (2011). Motives for volunteering are associated with mortality risk in older adults. Health Psychology, 31, 87-96.
Mahoney, R., Regan, C., Katona, C. & Livingston, G. (2005). Anxiety and depression in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease: the LASER-AD study. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13, 795-801.
Okun, M.A., Yeung, E.W. & Brown, S. (2013). Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 28, 564-577.
Schulz, R. & Beach, S.R. (1999). Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality: the Caregiver Health Effects Study. JAMA, 282, 2215-2219opens phone dialer.
Schwartz, C., Meisenhelder, J.B., Ma, Y., & Reed, G. (2003). Altruistic social interest behaviors are associated with better mental health. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 778-785.
Schwartz, C.E. & Sendor, M. (1999). Helping others helps oneself: Response shift effects in peer support. Social Science & Medicine, 48, 1563-1575.
Please note that all content here is strictly for informational purposes only. This content does not substitute any medical advice, and does not replace any medical judgment or reasoning by your own personal health provider. Please always seek a licensed physician in your area regarding all health related questions and issues.
Woman with donation box image courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Dr. Ellen Hendriksen was the host of the Savvy Psychologist podcast from 2014 to 2019. She is a clinical psychologist at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD). She earned her Ph.D. at UCLA and completed her training at Harvard Medical School. Her scientifically-based, zero-judgment approach is regularly featured in Psychology Today, Scientific American, The Huffington Post, and many other media outlets. Her debut book, HOW TO BE YOURSELF: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety, was published in March 2018.
