Supporting others is a way to boost your happiness and wellbeing through meaningful connections with those around you. This can be done on an individual level, at home, with your team at work, or within your community.
Along with a boost in mood, supporting others can reduce the impacts of stress on your brain and body, give you a “warm glow”, and has even been linked to a longer, happier life.
Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits of helping others.
Simple acts of kindness, such as giving a compliment or writing a kind note, are linked with mood-boosting benefits for both the recipient and you. Making time to support others goes a long way to enhancing your overall feelings of happiness.
There are also links between supporting others and increased longevity. It’s thought that ‘helping behaviour’ can provide a buffer against stress and may even dampen chronic inflammation in some individuals.
Supporting others helps to reduce feelings of isolation and bolster feelings of belonging. This is true for both formal volunteering, as well as offering informal support to those around you.
Knowing you want to help others can be a powerful motivator in life. It’s often what drives people to stay active in their own life, as well as continue to evolve. Helping others has even shown to boost your sense of confidence and worthiness; as our self-esteem is boosted, we may also experience a boost in drive and motivation. Being an example for others is also a motivating factor for those who observe your helping behaviours.
Finally, supporting others often reminds you to look after yourself, too. When you’re doing kind things for other people, and reminding them to be compassionate towards themselves, you’re more likely to extend this self-kindness inwards.