Ten Ways Giving Back Helps You

Your Anxiety and Depression are Eased

Giving back helps others reach for a better day. But the delightful dividend? Volunteering helps you reach greater states of happiness and hope. You experience a potent euphoria known as "helper's high." This sense of usefulness, optimism and meaning can banish your brooding thoughts and clear out the cobwebs in your minds. Why? For one thing, giving back helps you stop fixating on your troubles and propels you to feel empowered and confident that you can make a difference.

The neural "glow" from helping others even shows up on MRI scans. Boston College researchers found that pain, depression, and disability in chronic pain patients decreased after volunteering. University of Texas and other researchers also find that volunteering eases depression.