Why being community-minded is good for you

Studies have shown that volunteering your time, money, or energy to help others not only makes the world a better place but is good for you personally. Giving back to your local community increases your happiness, health, and sense of wellbeing.

There is evidence to suggest that when you help others, it can promote physiological changes in the brain linked with happiness. This heightened sense of well-being might be the byproduct of being more physically active as a result of volunteering, or because it makes us more socially active.

Helping others can help us to make new friends and connect with our community. Face-to-face activities such as volunteering for a charity can also help reduce loneliness and isolation.

Studies show that volunteering enhances an individual’s overall sense of purpose and identity. Helping others, especially those who are less fortunate than yourself, can be rewarding and lead to a more fulfilled life. It can also put your own life into perspective and make you feel more upbeat about your own circumstances.

People are more likely to perform charitable deeds after seeing someone else do the same which can have a ripple effect throughout the community, inspiring others to ‘make a difference’.

Volunteering can improve a person’s ability to manage stress and remain healthy, as well as increasing a sense of ‘life satisfaction’. At the end of the day helping others can teach you to help yourself. If you’ve had a difficult time or have a case of the blues, the ‘activism cure’ is a great way to feel good about yourself again.

Performing acts of kindness, according to experts, can improve your mood and give you a more optimistic and positive outlook.

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