Researchers say giving leads to a healthier, happier life
Benefits of altruistic love are broken down in a new book, 'Why good things happen to good people.'
from the July 25, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
So encouraging are empirical results on altruistic love, that Post and science journalist Jill Neimark have co-written a new book to share the findings, titled "Why Good Things Happen to Good People." The findings include, for example:
•Generous behavior reduces depression and risk of suicide in adolescents.
•Actively helping others during the teenage years promotes good physical and mental health all the way into late adulthood.
•Volunteerism on the part of older adults significantly reduces mortality.
•Giving to others enables people to forgive themselves for mistakes, a key element in well-being.
•Praying for others reduces health difficulties among older adults.
The book also highlights stories of lives that have been transformed by generous living. And it devotes a chapter to each of 10 ways of giving to others that have proven to increase life satisfaction: nurturing, celebration, forgiveness, courage to speak out, humor, respect, compassion, loyalty, creativity, and listening.
Post has created a "Love and Longevity Scale" that offers readers practical guidelines for scoring their own habits (20 questions for each of the 10 ways of giving) – and creating their own plans for a more caring lifestyle.
Among the compelling stories is that of Jean Vanier, a former Canadian navy commander who founded the L'Arche Communities – now in 34 countries – where people with and without intellectual disabilities live together. The communities have had a profound impact on thousands of individuals who participate.
"It's abundantly clear from a number of studies that people who live generous lives also live happier lives," says Post, an ebullient man who clearly revels in the work he's doing. "Science is showing us that the transformation toward greater love that is taught in the great religions has an empirical credibility."
Over the past decade, some 500 studies have shown the power of unselfish love. A 2004 study of more than 100 communities by the University of Essex in England, for instance, revealed that neighborhoods with the highest levels of volunteerism had less crime, better schools, and happier, healthier residents. This was true in every case studied, from the inner city to the rural village.
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