Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.

Are you ready for the year ahead? Do you want to have a happy, healthy year? Try GIVING! Yes, that’s right, giving contributes to your happiness and health.

Appearance on Your Health

The other day I had the pleasure of joining my friend Gina Renee, acupuncturist, holistic nutritionist, author, and radio and tv show host, on her monthly local cable access show, Your Health, to discuss the health benefits of giving. If you missed it, the show will be rebroadcast Monday, Feb. 3 at 4 pm and 11 pm on local cable channel 24 (for those of you in the Monterey area) or on Amp Media.

I had such fun preparing my talking points for our conversation that I thought I’d share them here as well. I’d been gathering articles and blog posts for months. I even revisited notes from conferences I’ve attended.

All of this research reminded me why I love being a part of the world of philanthropy. Not only does giving feel good…it actually IS good for our mental and physical well being!

Research on Happiness

There are a plethora of studies these days on happiness. There’s even a recent documentary on it—Happy. What researchers have found is that 40% of our happiness is related to intentional activities we engage in. Only 10% is related to the things we might typically think effect our happiness—our job, socioeconomic status, health, or where we live. The other 50% is genetically pre-set.

Philanthropy or giving—in any form—is one of these intentional activities. Here are a few of the findings:

• The top reported source of happiness is helping others.
• Helping others—whether you spend time with someone who lives alone, make a donation to a cherished cause, or run that Race for a Cure—creates a helper’s high or giver’s glow. In other words, as we engage in these activities, our brain pumps out dopamine, elevating our mood. The great thing is, these actions have a cumulative effect!
• Helping others also reduces depression.

In fact, one of the amazing bits of information I learned was that just thinking about doing good signals the pleasure center in your brain. Imagine what happens when you act on those thoughts!

Volunteering

Here are some other great research findings on how volunteering, a popular form of philanthropy, influences our health:

• Volunteering can add years to your life, regardless of your age. The key is volunteering on a regular basis.
• Volunteering helps lower blood pressure.
• If you have a chronic condition and you volunteer to help someone with the same condition, you create a positive health effect for yourself by finding a sense of purpose.

Giving, Kids, and Health

One of my favorite findings is related to the youth I love to work with. Studies show that giving in high school is a predictor for good mental and physical health into late adulthood. In other words, giving provides a protective halo for kids as they age! Another benefit to engaging your kids in giving at a young age.

Want to learn more about the health benefits of giving? Check out Dr. Stephen G. Post’s website. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing him present twice and he has compiled some incredible research on the subject. He’s also written two best-selling books on the topic: Why Good Things Happen to Good People and The Hidden Gifts of Helping.

Here’s to a year full of giving, happiness, and good health!