If nothing else, we humans are empathetic animals. Watching the news footage of the tragedies in Haiti or of those unemployed and struggling families in recession-torn America can bring great feelings of sadness, even when the suffering is thousands of miles away. The good news is that when those feelings turn into action — altruism — one can have long term improvements in mental health.
Called the “Ebenezer Scrooge effect,” after the selfish and miserable Dickens’ character whose mood improved through helping others, the link between giving and happiness has always fascinated social scientists. Numerous studies have demonstrated that people experience health benefits when treated kindly and compassionately, and now research shows that givers of care can get an even bigger boost. The textbook on the subject, Altruism and Health, edited by Stephen Post is an excellent survey of research on the connection between altruism and mental and physical health from the realms of biology, psychiatry, psychology, gerontology, epidemiology, and public health. The good news is that much of this research shows that unselfish individuals find life more meaningful, are happier than selfish people, and will often experience better mental health. Some of this research even goes so far as to suggest that unselfish individuals live longer and and have better physical health. There is, of course, one big exception: people who become overwhelmed by caregiving when they extend themselves too far will often suffer from the stressful burden of care. So, knowing one’s limits is crucial to giving.
One particular study of church goers shows that people who offer love, caring, and support to others have better mental health than those who only receive help. The study out of the University of Massachusetts, found that the very act of giving to others gets people outside of themselves and reduces their own anxiety and depression. In the study 2000 people answered questionaires that asked about the kind, quality and amount of loving care that people extended to others. In a second survey the same group were them given a test that looked at their mental health in general. The findings showed that receiving help wasn’t as powerful mood lifter as giving help, which is linked to lower rates of depression and anxiety.
I have one personal example of how caring about another can reduce anxiety. Last year I was giving blood at UCLA’s emergency trauma center. I had never donated blood before and had tremendous anxiety about it. Thankfully, an empathetic nurse gave me unusual attention. But receiving her gift of care didn’t not help me as much as something else that happened during the procedure. I noticed a young woman standing near us who had just given blood. She was swaying as if about to faint. I quickly directed the nurse to leave me and attend to her and in doing so, I felt my own anxiety disappearing. My entire attention was focussed on the girl, who vomited in a trash can before she was laid down, and while I barked directions (I’m like that) and inquired about her well being, I totally forgot that my own body was pumping out a pint of red stuff.
Now the question remains: Who are the giving people? Scientists are attempting to study the “altruistic personality” — what biological and environmental conditions shape people to become the givers in our culture. The fruit of all of this work is the reunion of ethics, religion, and science as they find common ground in “moral psychology” and encourage us to be kind as a route to mental and physical health.
Tags: altruism