Boost Your Health with the Power of Kindness Habit

The Health Benefits of Kindness

As the season of goodwill approaches, it might be worth noting that making acts of kindness a regular practice is not only beneficial to those you help but also to your own health. A multitude of research evidence suggests that helping others can significantly boost your psychological well-being and happiness, and even impact positively on your physical health.

Whether you choose to volunteer at a local food bank or deliver soup to a sick neighbor, your acts of kindness could improve your overall health. According to social and health psychologist Tara Gruenewald at Chapman University, there’s a growing body of research substantiating these claims.

The Impact of Volunteering on Physical Health

Most of this evidence is derived from observational studies of individuals who volunteer regularly. However, some fascinating experimental evidence also exists. One notable example is from the Baltimore Experience Corps trial, where adults aged 60 and above were randomly assigned to either volunteer at elementary schools or be put on a waiting list.

Those who volunteered spent at least 15 hours each week tutoring underprivileged kids. After two years, the researchers made remarkable findings. The volunteers exhibited measurable changes in their brain health.

Volunteers didn’t register declines in memory and executive function as was observed in the control participants. They even experienced changes in brain volume in areas that support different cognitive processes. Moreover, Gruenewald revealed that the volunteers were also more physically active, which is crucial for maintaining both cognitive and physical health with age.

Volunteering and Longevity

Other studies have found that people who volunteer regularly have a lower risk of mortality and better physical function as they age. For instance, such individuals can walk longer distances at older ages and have better balance, says Laura Kubzansky, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Research conducted by Kubzansky, which focuses on the relationship between physical and mental health, has found that individuals who participate more in volunteering and charitable giving exhibit lower levels of physical pain.

The Mechanisms Behind the Health Benefits of Kindness

Although the exact mechanisms behind how volunteering and acts of kindness enhance people’s health are still unknown, Kubzansky suggests that multiple processes might be at play. For instance, stress triggers a series of reactions in your body that can increase blood pressure and eventually lead to higher cholesterol levels and other changes that heighten the risk of cardiovascular diseases and poor health outcomes. Volunteering could help mitigate that stress response.

When you engage in acts of kindness, it not only distracts you from your personal problems, making you less reactive, but also provides a new perspective on your own issues. Furthermore, it promotes physical activity and reduces loneliness, a well-known risk factor for physical and mental health issues, especially in the elderly.

Health Benefits of Kindness in Younger Populations

Most of the research in this field has focused on middle-aged and older adults. As for younger individuals, less evidence is available on the health benefits of helping behaviors. Julia Boehm, an associate professor of psychology at Chapman University, has studied the social and psychological factors that influence health in children and adolescents.

An intriguing study involving high schoolers showed that students who volunteered with elementary school kids for 10 weeks exhibited improvements in several markers of cardiovascular health compared to their counterparts on a waitlist.

These student volunteers showed healthier body mass index, inflammatory markers, and total cholesterol. Those who increased the most in empathy and altruistic behaviors and reduced the most in negative mood also showed the greatest decreases in cardiovascular risk over time.

Other adult studies have also linked regular participation in volunteering and informal acts of kindness, such as helping a neighbor, to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Making Kindness a Public Health Priority

Given these findings, Kubzansky believes health officials should make research into the health benefits of volunteering and other acts of kindness a public health priority.

In the meanwhile, Gruenewald asserts that we cannot go wrong when we adopt behaviors intended to help others. After all, these actions not only make the world a better place for many but also improve our own lives.