Give — and live longer

As it turns out, the feeling is not unexplainable. As I have pointed out in the past, science is finding better and better ways to measure that incredible feeling that comes from giving.

In an article in US News and World Report titled “What Generosity Does to Your Brain and Life Expectancy” posted on May 2, 2015, scientists state that the feelings you get from volunteer work or charitable contributions are not fleeting feelings. They are lasting feelings so potent and so important they can actually increase your life expectancy.

Scientists have been doing research on generosity and compassion for decades and, according to this article, “… studies have consistently shown that improved mood, better physical health and increased longevity are connected to giving – whether it’s monetary donations or volunteer hours invested on the weekend. When it comes to your health, it truly is better to give than to receive,” scientists note.

This is an interesting revelation for those who believe they don’t have the time to do any volunteer work. As it turns out, you actually get a longer and happier life from the simple act of giving. This is a fact. Through brain scans, scientists see how giving “lights up” the brain. Scientists call it “giver’s glow”.

Stephen G Post, director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at New York’s Stony Brook University, says that brain chemistry triggers responses in the mesolimbic pathway, which recognises rewarding stimuli. It’s the same centre that regulates feeling satisfied after a nice meal or sex.

The act of giving produces “happiness chemicals”, Post says, that include dopamine and endorphins.

These chemicals provide “…a sense of euphoria…, which is associated with tranquillity, serenity or inner peace,” says Post.

In the long run, these acts of giving combat depression and they put a huge dent in day-to-day stress. They produce happiness.

A study published in 2013 in the American Journal of Public Health found that giving time and assistance to others reduced the mortality risk tied to stress, a known risk factor for many chronic diseases.

The study of 846 adults in the northern US city of Detroit showed healthier individuals who lived longer.

A larger study of 2,000 residents in California who volunteered showed reduced mortality rates for people exercising four times a week and attending church regularly.

The findings, published in The Journal of Health Psychology, showed that “subjects who volunteered for two or more causes had a 63 per cent lower rate of mortality than people who didn’t volunteer during the study period.” The findings also showed charitable donations trigger the same reactions.

Even thinking about giving money to a meaningful cause affects the brain, according to research led by Jorge Moll of the D’Or Institute for Research and Education in Brazil. The catch is this: it has to be a genuine, heartfelt feeling to give. You can’t give the money or the time grudgingly.

The bottom line is simply this: becoming involved in charitable work can make you feel better, and it can make Trinidad and Tobago a better place for all of us.