Eat right, exercise—and volunteer. According to The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research, volunteers help themselves to better health while helping others.
The study, released by the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, D.C., found a significant connection between volunteering and good health. The report shows that volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease.
The report includes findings from more than 30 rigorous and longitudinal studies that reviewed the relationship between health and volunteering, with particular emphasis on studies that seek to determine the causal connection between the two factors. According to the report:
- A study of adults ages 65 and older found that the positive effect of volunteering on physical and mental health is due to the personal sense of accomplishment an individual gains from his or her volunteer activities.
- Another study found that volunteering led to lower rates of depression in individuals 65 and older.
- A Duke University study found that individuals who volunteered after experiencing heart attacks reported reductions in despair and depression—two factors that have been linked to mortality in post-coronary artery disease patients.
- An analysis of longitudinal data found that individuals over age 70 who volunteered approximately 100 hours had less of a decline in self-reported health and functioning levels, experienced lower levels of depression and had more longevity.
- Two studies found that those who reached the volunteering threshold of about 100 hours per year, or about two hours a week, enjoyed significant health benefits, although there were no additional benefits beyond the 100-hour mark.
To read the report, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/ about/role_impact/performance_research.asp#HBR.