Medical Research Links Gift Giving to Longevity
If you could improve your chances of living a longer, healthier life… would you? Studies in the field of medical research reveal that a longer life expectancy can be linked to altruism and charitable giving.
“So if I give, I’ll increase my chances of living longer?” – Yup!
Research has revealed that gift giving produces both emotional and physiological changes in the body that positively effect our health.
‘Altruism and giving’ as a potential area of medicine was first explored in the 1950’s by a team of Cornell University researchers who found that doing good and charitable giving improved longer life-expectancy rates. The Cornell researchers examined and compared a controlled study of non-volunteers versus charitable volunteers. Their findings revealed that 52% of those who did not volunteer experienced a major illness, compared to only 36% of people who were involved in volunteer and charitable services.
Further medical studies have explored altruism and charitable gift giving as it relates to the areas of genetics, human development, social science, and positive psychology.
Here’s what these smarty-pant scientists found out about giving…
Comprehensive medical research has linked the physical and emotional side-effects of giving as a combative instrument against premature death. How? The emotional effects of gift giving promote physiological changes in the body that significantly reduce stress and promote health:
- The emotional side effects of charitable giving decrease the production of cortiso (a hormone linked to stress which reduces the body’s immune system). Lower levels of cortiso allow the body’s protective antibodies to combat antigens linked to many terminal illnesses – including cancer, heart disease, and aging.
- The emotional side-effects of giving to charity preserve genetic sustainability. Stress cuts down the body’s telomeres, which are your genetic end-caps. These end-caps, when cut down are linked to premature death. Research shows that the positive emotional effects of pro-social engagement combats the destruction of these end-caps and promotes longer life.
- The emotional side-effects of gift giving produce high levels of the hormone oxytocin. When an individual volunteers his services, gives, or pledges his charity this hormone is produced and is linked to your emphatic emotions that reduces your body’s response to stress, improving your immune system.
- The emotional side-effects of charitable giving produce brain chemical changes. Researchers have identified a region in the brain that they call the “compassion-altruism axis”. Using MRI scans, scientists have found that your brain is very active in this region of the brain when your emphatic emotions are high. This activity stimulates stress-relieving agents that in turn improve your body’s immunity.
A healthy immune system as a result of altruism and gift giving means:
- Longer life expectancy
- Prevention of pre-mature aging (so you can give your pricey wrinkle cream away!)
- Healthier physical and emotional wellbeing
- And let’s not forget: better health insurance rates!
We may never find the fountain of youth, but the lesson we’ve learned today is that we can certainly improve our chances of living a longer, healthier life by incorporating charitable giving into our daily lives.
Questions For Our Lovely Readers…
- What are some ways you give back to your community?
- What are your brilliant gift giving ideas & tips?
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Tags: charitable giving
5. March 2009 at 9:03 pm :
Random acts of kindness – Good for the soul!
5. March 2009 at 9:41 pm :
This blog is very well written and full of very interesting informations, I want to ask if my blog website can be published in it.
5. March 2009 at 10:37 pm :
I love acts of random kindness!
Speaking of. . . someone just gave me a box of VERY nice clothes. I’m elated! They’d cost a fortune to buy in retail stores. It was such a random act of kindness! Maybe i’ll forward the box onto someone else as a random gift giving gesture for longevity!
The recycle of giving is the nourishment of life…
6. March 2009 at 2:06 am :
Yes Random Acts of Kindness are very good for the soul and the lord loves it …….I am very kind hearted and always love to help when i can and will keep on doing for others .
6. March 2009 at 3:45 am :
Thanks for your input Kevin! You’re absolutely on key: ‘kindness is good for the soul’
“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is also one who withholds and is lead to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”
6. March 2009 at 5:03 am :
I totally believe this! I think the mental and spiritual sense of well being that comes from being able to help another living being changes our entire self. I couldn’t imagine going a day without doing *something* to help some living being in some way. I think if I were challenged to go through a day without giving my change to a needy cause, without helping someone who dropped something, or without tipping a wait person…without feeding a parking lot stray, taking in a lost dog for the night, giving a pile of clothes to good will….I would be exhausted and feeling like I did nothing productive that day. I don’t think I could do it.
6. March 2009 at 5:13 am :
Questions For Our Lovely Readers…
* What are some ways you give back to your community?
I’m a parking lot stray feeder and feral feeder, I donate regularly…almost daily to food collection bins for pantries and for animal collection bins for the shelters. Change is always dropped in a collection jar. I give monthly on MicroGiving. My handicapped neighbor cannot drive anymore so she sold her car. We give her rides and often do her groceries for her. We shop 99% of the time at stores that benefit charitable causes such as GoodWill, Salvation Army, United Way store, the ASPCA resale store, and community thrift stores the benefit things like the Battered Womans homes and Childrens Charities. We regularly do litter clean up at a free public water spring and we regularly attend charity fund raiser events. I run a website that lists disabled/injured pets in need and I promote heavily animal and human disability related fund raisers….that is all I can really think of at the moment.
* What are your brilliant gift giving ideas & tips?
Grocery store gift cards and food baskets are my favorite gift to give someone. Even someone on food stamps can throw together a nice fruit basket with their own personal touches for a few bucks. Bread baskets are something you can make at home really cheap and give away. Baskets of baked goods. I also like to offer gift cards for discount diners and buffets as gifts so a family can get a nice evening out…especially stay at home moms.
6. March 2009 at 5:41 pm :
What is the one thing you can’t get back?
I believe this thing is the most important gift because you can give it no matter the circumstance. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. Your finances do not matter. Your belongings do not matter. You can go out of your way to give it or you can give it in your busy schedule.
Have the answer now?
This gift is mostly given to family and friends, but that’s ok because they are the people who need it the most from you. Everyone you encounter can be given a little taste of it. Just enough to make them smile or even say thank you.
This is the gift that should be considered the highest priority because once it is passed, it can never be retrieved. When you do not give it at all, you are sending the opposite message which of course has a negative effect, but you can give too much of it so be mindful. Everyone gives this in both a positive and negative way so don’t be hard on yourself when you are on the ladder because nobody is perfect. This gift can be the most exhausting gift of all so you must know when to give it to yourself. Yes, you can give this gift to yourself and it can help you when given appropriately.
This gift is the foundation of all gifts because this gift is time. I love you all~
6. March 2009 at 10:38 pm :
Random acts of kindness….keep smiling……and feel free
6. March 2009 at 10:47 pm :
When I am able, I volunteer at a local soup kitchen, I cook, or line serve for them.
It makes me feel good that I am able to give in this way.
We also donate non parishables once a month to our FISH pantry, and I donate books whenever I can to our library and local hospice center.
I have donated clothes to the Savation Army, some people do not understand what a wonderful job the SA does, and are not aware of all that they do.
Another thing that Tom and I both help do, is build our Habitat for Humanity Home.
I love HFH! I can never say enough awesome things about them. Whenever I hear of someone who is in search of housing, I tell them to look into HFH, you never know until you ask. When our home was being built, we weren’t able to do the big things required in building a home, but we were able to help clean the site up, and sweep, paint and mud… It was a true full filling feeling, to be a part of such a amazing group.
6. March 2009 at 10:47 pm :
RAOK’S are the rock of all that is good, and all of the good that people do.
7. March 2009 at 12:09 am :
I wonder if the study ever analyzed “over-giving”? I have always had the heart to give my all to anyone which is why I’ve worked so hard and have very little to show for it. I don’t regret any of it, but it is becoming harder and harder to give my all. I have learned how to become more responsible with giving because over time I couldn’t advance myself and now my family is in the position of hardship. Fortunately for me, I do have a handful of individuals assisting me in the little ways that they can reciprocating the gifts I once gave.
So, not to sound pessimistic, but I am curious to know what happens deep down in the physiology of the human anatomy when the giving turns their life for the worse instead of the better~
7. March 2009 at 1:21 am :
I believe one can become addicted to giving. It really is a good feeling and sometimes you forget to budget your gift giving allowance. We have been known to become irresponsible with our budget to help someone who was in need. No…don’t regret doing that, but if you do that too often you become the one in need and that isn’t helping anyone.
Sometimes you might give too much to the wrong person, making them dependent on you rather than working their way ahead so they can become the giver…not the recipient. That isn’t helping you or the recipient. Giving IMO should be to help the person move ahead, not help them stay right where they are.
My Grandmother used to say, don’t give me flowers as a gift, they will only wilt and die. Give me a plant that will live and grow and keep giving.
Giving someone a tomato plant rather than a tomato helps advance the person…try to think about what you are giving and why…are you trying to help that person move ahead? If so, will your gift do that?
When someone can’t pay their power bill and they always seem to be behind in that bills payments, my first questions is why? Do they need lessons on how to conserve power? Do they need some broken windows replaced? Do they need a bunch of low energy light bulbs? Is there an electrical problem that needs to be worked on? I would rather give a gift that would keep their power bills down to a level then can handle rather than help pay the power bill every month.
7. March 2009 at 1:38 am :
We have come to learn several different ways to conserve not only energy, but natural gas and other things. We recycle as much as we possibly can now, where years ago we didn’t know as much. Have teens, who are “Green” is fan/fun tastic!!
7. March 2009 at 2:49 am :
I am so glad Sherri that your teen is in the green movement! Both my boys grew up with the the green movement. It’s actually a part of our religion so they learned all about being green in their toddler days and grew up with it. Right now we are tickled that we found plants at our local discount store. I don’t know if you have them in your area, but we have a Freds discount store fredsinc.com and we found some tomato plants, some flowering bush plants and seeds. We picked up some tomato and bell pepper plants, tons of seeds for squashes and cantaloupe, some bush plants and my youngest son has been planting stuff for me. We need the hedges and bushes because we can only have raised gardens behind privacy fencing and since I can’t afford privacy fencing we are hoping that hedging and bushes will enclose our property.
I still don’t have chair or scooter access around the land plot so I can’t do any gardening till we get the renovations done so I’m trying to teach him about proper gardening so he can handle it till I can get out into the yard. Wish us luck…we really want to reduce our grocery bill and eat healthier.
7. March 2009 at 3:59 am :
I would say I grew up loving and giving in ways that would help people. Maybe the wrong people or the wrong way for them, but I have faith what I did was right so I will not regret it no matter how much I feel like it at times. Knowing that what I did was right, and that I invested so much time, effort, and money into making others better, I have to believe I am being repaid in other ways… possibly from other people… or maybe I have to just be patient. God will grant me what he believes I deserve when he believes the time is appropriate.
As for the times I gave the wrong way, God knew what was in my heart and if I were to be excused for the mistake, it would be because I was so young and misguided/mislead in my childhood. Divorced parents on opposite ends of the spectrum. Somewhere within them and the others who helped raise me, I think I ended up very gifted. Still finding that balance, I feel good about my future. I know if I can succeed, I will bring others with me~
8. March 2009 at 2:20 am :
it is amazing to me…how much it means to a person…when the last person you would expect, comes through for you..
Recently,…I told some of my homeless friends, how I might be right out there with them soon…and I was terrified..
They told me not to worry, that they would get me a packpack, (lol)…and blankets. and how we’d stay up all night at coffee shops and sleep on the beautiful beaches all day till I found a job..
God Bless them…their little hearts were trying to protect me..
We never know how well we have it sometimes…
I try to witness for God when I can..and everything that I do …is in His name..
and Jesus…that is my biggest contribution to others…FAITH…and hope, through our Father, and His Son…
9. March 2009 at 5:06 am :
A healthy immune system as a result of altruism and gift giving means:
Longer life expectancy
Prevention of pre-mature aging (so you can give your pricey wrinkle cream away!)
Healthier physical and emotional wellbeing
And let’s not forget: better health insurance rates!
We may never find the fountain of youth, but the lesson we’ve learned today is that we can certainly improve our chances of living a longer, healthier life by incorporating charitable giving into our daily lives.
Having Systemic and Discoid Lupus, I can tell you, You need to do what it takes to be as healthy as you can, because you never know when you will develope somethng that will changed the way your body, feels, acts and reacts to things.
I truly beleive that giving and RAK’S have helped me feel better mentaling and pysically. Giving from your heart makes you healthier
9. March 2009 at 11:34 pm :
I am trying to get on my feet financially and my husband is trying to get a part time job. I have always been a giving person. If I was able to give now. I will give to charity and organzations. I worked for the gov. for 18 years and I always gave blood and donated my share of money by letting them take for my payroll check every pay period for at least 4 differents charities for the time i worked until i was disabled. I know I will be giving again one day again. Thank for reading!!!!
10. March 2009 at 1:32 pm :
Thank you Elaine for sharing! Paycheck deductions for charity is a great way to give on a consistent basis. Great feedback!
11. March 2009 at 12:29 am :
There have been times that I have over givin too, and I learned alot of lessons along the way because of that. I must admit that because of people who care, my family has been helped. Do you think that it ever evens out? This is a question to ponder.
I do beleive that all good comes back to you ten fold, I really do.
11. March 2009 at 3:54 pm :
Because of accident I realised how much giving is such a wonderful thing,
Never thaught like that before.
The rewards of giving some time pay back comes in miraculous ways, that
is sometime unbelievable.
One day i hope to be a major player in giving to various charitys
31. March 2009 at 6:13 am :
An act of kindness…….. Is a simple smile, an ear to listen…. Kindness……. So very easy to accomplish……
7. April 2009 at 12:07 pm :
[...] Who doesn’t like movies, popcorn, and candy? Throw together an entertainment basket that includes your favorite “must see” DVD, or a movie rental coupon (and don’t leave out the some snow caps and gummy worms)! How about an Asian-themed-cuisine? Visit an ethnic market and put together a sushi-kit. Include seaweed paper, chop sticks, and soy sauce (for all of you sodium friendly patrons). Credits to Rayhawk for her comment on Medical Research Links Gift Giving to Longevity! [...]
15. April 2009 at 8:55 pm :
Until recently I always felt that giving had to be in the way of money. I am realizing that the more I give of my time and kindness that it is just as important. It makes you feel alive to share what you have to others.
I helped someone that had a lot to get out to their van today and they acted as if I gave them a thousand dollars.
14. May 2009 at 2:56 am :
[...] and one’s likelihood to experience long-term prosperity. There has also been suggestion that charitable giving increases longevity. Brooks noted from his research and observation that families usually experience a 4 out of 1 [...]