Generosity is healthy and makes you live longer
Healthy giving
Measureable effects of giving
References
Healthy giving
All over the world, in every culture, charity and generosity are valued. Why do people keep giving?
It is a mark of a successful life to have an abundance to give - to yourself, your friends, family, and others whom you meet every day. Basically, giving makes you feel good.
Remember however, that healthy giving is not giving away your power, your sense of self, or giving anything to the point of pain or resentment. It is not giving out of a sense of obligation, coercion, or guilt.
Rather, healthy generosity is giving as an overflow of the good things in your life. It doesn't necessarily have to be money that you are giving. It is a blessing to have sufficient wealth to be able to give away many material gifts, but even without wealth, your time, energy, love and friendship are treasured. Helping your friends and loved ones can be one of the greatest sources of happiness.
Generosity means giving with your whole being. It means coming out from behind that mask, and saying YES to yourself and other people. YES with your resources, time and emotions. A loving smile, an appropriate touch or hug, a meal cooked with love, a good belly laugh, and a sincere desire to listen or give money when appropriate are all examples of a generous attitude to life. Of course, you give without thought of return (although it is interesting how often something comes back in unexpected ways).
Give so that others may grow, heal, advance and help themselves. Generosity means wishing for others also to have the good things you would like for yourself.
Measureable effects of giving
Researchers have shown (1) that when you give, the pleasure centres of your brain light up in just the same way as they do after making love, eating a great meal, or receiving a windfall. It also makes you physically stronger. Right after a good deed, one study showed a muscle contraction can be held 20% longer.
If you are married, and the two of you make a conscious effort to give to each other, you are likely to live longer than other couples. The giving spouse in a couple is likely to live longer than the spouse who is mostly on the receiving end.
The study showed that receiving support had no effect on mortality once giving support was taken into consideration. It controlled for demographics, personality, health, mental health, and other marital-relationship variables.
References
1. Brown S.L., Nesse R.M., Vinokur A.D., Smith D.M.
Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: results from a prospective study of mortality.
Psychol Sci. 2003 Jul;14(4):320-7.