The Unexpected Wellness Benefits Of Living A More Generous Life

Generosity is something most of us associate with helping others.

While that is partially true, living generously can also provide some incredible health benefits you might not know.

Living generously can help you live longer, feel happier, and have better overall wellness.

It’ll improve your health in ways you never thought possible.

Let’s dive into a few science-backed wellness benefits of generosity.

There are endless reasons why generosity is good for your health. From lowering stress to helping you live longer, the benefits of giving are outstanding.

And the best part?

You don’t have to be rich to start living generously. Every act of kindness, no matter how big or small, counts.

Here’s what you’re going to learn:

Why Generosity Is Good For Your Health
The Wellness Benefits Of Generosity (& Helping Others)
How Donating Can Help Prevent Blindness

Why Generosity Is Good For Your Health

There are numerous wellness benefits to generosity. Whenever someone gives their time, money, or effort towards a cause or person, your brain produces “feel-good” chemicals.

Your body releases happiness hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These chemicals help you sleep, keep your mood even, and help regulate blood pressure.

Here’s the kicker.

Stress is a leading contributor to many health issues such as heart disease, anxiety, and depression. When you give to others, it actually reverses the effects of stress.

Let’s say you choose to donate to charity to fight blindness because you want to help change someone’s life. 90% of blindness around the world is preventable or treatable, so you know your donation is going to help massively.

When you donate, you’re not only helping someone else see again, but you’re helping your body fight off disease at the same time.

Think of it as a win-win.

The Science Behind Generosity & Helping Others

The feeling you get after helping others is commonly known as the “helper’s high.” But there’s actually science to back up this phenomenon.

Not only does generosity help others, but it releases endorphins in your brain. Whenever you give, your brain’s reward centre known as the “mesolimbic pathway” activates.

Creating natural happiness that’s similar to what you feel when you exercise.

Did you know that the same part of your brain that activates when eating delicious food or hanging out with friends also activates when being generous?

Because generosity doesn’t stop there. If you regularly incorporate generosity into your life, you’ll continue to reap all the health benefits mentioned above.

Research has shown that people who gave to others had:

Lower levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone
Less anxiety
Better immune function

When you give to others, your health and overall wellness will begin to improve as well.

Wellness Benefits Of Generosity (& Helping Others)

Alright, now that the basics are out of the way. Let’s get into the juicy stuff.

These are the top 5 wellness benefits of living a generous life. Benefits that are scientifically proven to help your health.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Lower Stress & Anxiety
Better Heart Health
Longevity
Mental Health
Relationships

1. Lower Stress & Anxiety

Stress has become such a common health issue for so many people. But luckily, generosity can help you reduce those extra-stressful feelings.

Whenever you give to others, your body releases chemicals that help reduce stress. Researchers discovered that when study participants did daily acts of kindness, their stress levels went down.

When they stopped doing good deeds for others, their stress went right back up.

The moral of the story?

Doing generous acts on a regular basis can help keep your stress levels as low as possible.

2. Better Heart Health

I bet you didn’t see this one coming…

Did you know that spending money on others can actually lower blood pressure?

Researchers found that when seniors with hypertension “spent money on others,” their blood pressure levels were equal to those who took medication and exercised.

Guess what helps keep your heart healthy? Yup, generosity.

3. Longevity

Who wouldn’t want to live longer?

Researchers at the University of Buffalo studied unselfishness and found that people who weren’t selfish had a lower risk of dying earlier.

Helping others, such as volunteering, running errands for people, or offering advice to friends when they need it, helped reduce health impacts of stress.

Studies like this prove that generosity can add years to your life.

4. Mental Health

Depression and anxiety are some of the most common mental health problems that people struggle with daily.

But did you know that volunteering can help improve your overall mental health?

Research from BMC Public Health found that volunteering helped:

Improve wellbeing
Improve life satisfaction
Decrease depression

Their studies even went further to show that regular volunteers had a lower risk of dying early.

Want to know the best part?

It doesn’t have to be big gestures. Small acts of generosity can help release those happy hormones.

Whether you help your neighbour with something or donate money to a cause, every little bit helps improve your mental health.

5. Relationships

Have you ever heard generosity is contagious?

When you’re generous to others, people will want to be around you more. Not only will your relationships with others improve, but generosity helps you create stronger connections with others.

Studies have shown that when people were generous at work, their coworkers trusted them more and wanted to cooperate.

Researchers from the National Marriage Project found that generosity was also the leading cause of happy marriages.

Here’s what that means:

Generosity improves your personal relationships
Your relationships at work will get better
You create deeper connections with others

When you have strong relationships, your overall health benefits.

How Donating Can Help Prevent Blindness

Now that the wellness benefits of living generously are clear, it’s time to take action.

But how?

Instead of just donating and helping others in general, look towards a cause that means something to you.

Like helping prevent blindness.

Did you know that at least 1 billion people worldwide have preventable vision impairment?

There are currently 43 million people living with blindness, but 77% of those cases are avoidable.

Your donation can help:

Provide cataract surgeries to those in need
Fight blindness
Help develop eye care programs
Train local eye health workers

All of these programs not only help prevent blindness but better someone’s life who can’t see.

And while you’re changing someone’s life, your generosity is going to release happy hormones that will better your health as well.

Wrapping Things Up

Generosity does a lot more than just help others.

There are so many wellness benefits of living generously and here are 5 of them.

Here’s what you should know:

Giving to others helps your brain release happiness hormones
Helping others can lower your blood pressure
Generosity can help you live longer
Donating and volunteering can help improve mental health and depression
Generous people have stronger relationships

All you have to do is pick a cause that is close to your heart. Donating to help fight blindness is a powerful place to start.

Your generous gifts will start to become a habit and before you know it, your health will start to benefit as well.

The owners and authors of Cinnamon Hollow are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice. We cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research and consult with your personal physician before using.