Excerpts from article by Valerie Ulene | Source: Los Angeles Times | August 10, 2009
Behaving altruistically not only feels good, a growing body of research suggests, it actually improves a person's physical and psychological health. "One of the best things we can do for our health is to learn to be more caring and compassionate," says Stephen Post, director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University in New York.
A study published last year in the journal Science examined the relationship between philanthropy and well-being. Researchers analyzed the spending patterns of more than 600 men and women and questioned them about their general happiness. Money used to pay bills or buy things for themselves was considered "personal spending"; gifts for others and donations to charities were categorized as "pro-social spending." Personal spending was found to be unrelated to happiness, whereas pro-social spending was directly correlated to happiness.
The full article can be read at:
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourmoney/work/articles/the_rewards_of_volunteering.html?cmp=NLC-RSS-DAILY-BULLETIN
Volunteer and you will benefit.
Tom Binder
Senior Real Estate Specialist
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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