New study confirms that helping others is good for people’s health and wellbeing

A new study by the American Psychological Association has confirmed that helping others is good for people’s health and wellbeing.

Previous studies have examined a potential link between prosocial behaviour and better physical and mental health. The study involving over 198,000 participants revealed that there is a modest association between prosocial behaviour and wellbeing. The connection is small but is still “meaningful given how many people perform acts of kindness everyday”.

Prosocial behaviour such as trust and compassion, are all necessary ingredients of a harmonious and well-functioning society.

The research determined that random acts of kindness, such as helping an older neighbour carry groceries, were more strongly associated with overall wellbeing than volunteering for a charity for example. This is because more informal helping is more casual and spontaneous and may lead to forming social connections more easily.

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