Description
Helping someone is as simple as it sounds. It can be anything from giving a hint on the street to sharing food, to actions that involve greater commitment or time.
Possible Benefits
- May boost your mood
- May increase motivation
- May decrease stress
- May decrease anxiety
- May increase confidence
- May increase life satisfaction
How to Do It
There are two basic ways to help:
- Responding to other people's requests. Whenever someone asks you for help, and you think is safe and possible to do it, just take action and help the person.
- Taking the initiative to help proactively. You may decide to help someone by giving them food, making a donation, or volunteering in your community. You can also help a friend or family member by helping them solve their problems.
Why it works
- Humans are social beings. Biologically, it means that we are meant to cooperate to some extent. We inherit a sense of connection and wellbeing whenever we help someone, especially if they are in trouble.
- Helping someone forces us to focus on something other than our own issues. This decreases stress and anxiety.
- Dedicating our time and money to an external cause has been proven to be a way to build long-term happiness
Time Commitment
10-40 minutes
Suggested Frequency
At least once a week
When you have the chance
Time of Day
Any
Possible Side Effects
None known
Make sure you help in a safe environment
Tips
- Any small action is meaningful
- Help people from your community
- Read Martin Seligman’s writing on long-term happiness
- Find volunteering opportunities according to your interests
Supporting Studies and Articles
Expand Collapse- Altruism, Helping, and Volunteering: Pathways to Well-Being in Late Life. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3910233/
- Volunteering and health benefits in general adults: cumulative effects and forms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5504679/
- Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780662/
- Ways to support someone who is grieving. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/ways-to-support-someone-who-is-grieving
- Stop asking ‘how are you?’ Harvard researchers say this is what successful people do when making small talk. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/07/stop-asking-how-are-you-harvard-researchers-say-this-is-how-successful-people-make-small-talk.html
- Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16045394/
- Positive Psychology and Physical Health. Research and Applications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124958/
- A balanced psychology and a full life. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1693422/
