02 Apr 2015 Volunteer – It Can Save Your Life!
It has been said that some of us derive positive energy from spending time with friends and acquaintances, while others feel drained at the end of such social engagements. They feel a lot more at ease spending time on their own with a good book, or just going alone for a walk in the park.
But are there any consequences to such tendencies of solitude?
The Science:
In a seminal review published in 1988, James House and his colleagues reported that people with a low quantity, and sometimes low quality, of social relationships, are exposed to a much higher risk of premature death. Socially isolated people, they said, are more likely to be of poor physical and psychological health.
In another study published in 2013 in the American Journal of Public Health, Dr. Michael Poulin and his colleagues asked 802 participants if they have experienced a stressful life event in the past year (such as death in the family, divorce, or losing their job), and whether they have provided tangible help to family members or friends in the same period. Then they checked public records to see who died during the next five years. Poulin and his colleagues determined that stress was a good predictor of premature death among those who did not engage in helping family members and friends. Conversely, experiencing a stressful life event did not increase the likelihood of premature death in individuals who engaged in helping family and friends.
Researchers associate this outcome with the fact that caregiving increases the secretion of hormones such as oxytocin and prolactin, which are known to have stress-reducing effects.
Our Recommendation:
Even if your natural preference is to spend your free time alone, and even if it is not in your nature to volunteer, or reach out to help others in need, you should muster your inner energies and motivate yourself to do so.
It is definitely in your power to adopt new behaviors, including social engagement and volunteering. And once these behaviors become habitual, they will require far less conscious energy and motivation to execute.
Learn More:
To learn more about adopting new habits and behaviors, go to our Willpower Program.
