Has it happened to you? A morning gone wrong, feeling on edge and overwhelmed, and out of nowhere, someone does something unexpectedly kind for you. It's during these unexpected moments that a simple, caring gesture from a friend can completely shift your mood.
It's as if a wave of goodwill washes over you and lifts you, rescuing you from the start of a stress-induced day.
Acts of kindness can quickly change your entire outlook.
Doing good deeds, whether it's offering support to a friend, donating to a charity, or simply helping someone out, is a beautiful thing.
Surprisingly, while the receiver benefits from the act, the giver often reaps even greater rewards. Studies show that performing charitable acts triggers the release of feel-good chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, creating a similar feeling to a runner's high.
These elevated endorphins produce a sense of warmth and wellbeing known as the "helper's high," which is nature's way of rewarding us for helping others.
Kindness is the antidote to stress.
Stress is widely acknowledged to harm the body, leading to illness by compromising the immune system and inducing inflammation. Prolonged stress increases blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels—the body's natural alarm system.
Although cortisol plays a vital role in regulating inflammation, excessive levels can have adverse effects.
"It's so effective at suppressing the immune system that millions use it daily in cream form to treat conditions like eczema, itching, and rashes," says David R. Hamilton, Ph.D.
Altruism reduces cortisol.
Generous people have 23% less cortisol and age slower than the average population. Generosity may even have a greater impact than diet and exercise when protecting our long-term physical and mental health.
In Dawson Church's book, "Genie in Your Genes," a large study conducted in Michigan over ten years revealed that men who regularly engaged in volunteer activities had half the death rates compared to those who did not. The charitable side effects included reduced stress, improved immune system functioning, a sense of joy, peace, wellbeing, and relief from physical and emotional pain.
Pay attention to what captures your attention.
Interestingly, the effects of altruism aren't limited to the giver or receiver. Merely witnessing acts of kindness activates the same "helper's high," positively influencing one's emotional state.
For example, Dr. David McClelland, a behavioral psychologist at Harvard, conducted a study to determine the impact of witnessing a good deed on the immune system. Dr. David McClelland's study showed that even watching a film portraying Mother Teresa's charitable work increased participants' protective antibody markers, suggesting heightened immune function.
As they saw Mother Teresa's acts of kindness, the participants' protective antibody markers (S-lgA) increased compared to those who watched a neutral film. This phenomenon, known as the "Mother Teresa Effect," resulted in sustained immune elevation even one hour later.
It's clear that our attention directly affects our energy and wellbeing.
Whether we watch a feel-good documentary on Netflix to boost our immunity or get absorbed in distressing headlines on our phones, what we see has a significant impact on our overall health.
Should doctors prescribe community service for disease prevention?
How about a prescription from your doctor: "Start a volunteer program one day a week and see me in 6 months." A meta-analysis of 20 studies examined whether doctors should recommend public service as a health intervention. The answer? Maybe. While the positive benefits were clear, it remains to be seen once a carefully designed trial is completed.
Many factors influence generosity.
Feelings of empathy and compassion can motivate us to help others, and certain personality traits, morals, and a sense of identity can affect a person's willingness to act kindly.
Despite the influencing factors, when we help others or even think about helping others, we shift our focus away from ourselves and our problems. Altruism beautifully serves as a distraction from our stressors, improving our wellness.
An act of kindness, whether given or received, can transform a morning gone haywire.
So, enjoy giving yourself a daily dose of the helper's high – it's good for your health!
