Studies show that volunteering can boost happiness, decrease depression, relieve stress, and help you live longer. The same is true for charitable giving. In 1989, an economist named James Andreoni theorized the Warm-Glow Giving phenomenon, concluding that people received positive emotional feelings activated by helping others. On average, people who gave away more of their money reported significantly higher levels of happiness than those who didn’t. In 2010, more than 253 million prescriptions were written for anti-depressants in the U.S. That’s 253 million in a nation of only 311 million people. I’m not against anti-depressants. I think they’re important, helpful, and often times necessary. But supplementing pharmaceuticals with concrete acts of service, charity, empathy, and exercise is the sure fire way to feel better. Want to make 2014 your best year yet? Give your money away. Give with your time. Volunteer. Serve. Exercise the empathic centers of your brain. Not only will you start feeling better yourself, you’ll impact the lives of others at the same time. “For it is in giving that we receive.” — St. Francis of Assisi (Justin Zoradi)
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 00:01:24 +0000