If you’re thinking of starting volunteer work but something is holding you back, consider these five surprising benefits that start when you serve others within your community (or read Dr. Barbara Edwards’ (Princeton) experience volunteering in Malawi for inspiration).
1. It can be therapeutic
Connecting with others–even animals–decreases stress hormones. Studies show that interacting with others can help build a stronger support system, which may decrease your likeliness to become depressed.
2. It improves your health
Aside from your mental health, volunteering can have a physical impact on your corporal well-being. According to a 2013 study on older adults, those who chose to volunteer over 200 hours in a year in turn had a 40% less chance of developing high blood pressure than those who did not. A study done in 2011 also showed that individuals who were others-oriented in their motives for volunteering lived longer.
3. It leads to new opportunities
Volunteering can either enable you to learn skills within your field, make connections within your field, or teach you a new transferable skill. Depending on what your passion is, you can achieve all three during your time volunteering. Without the pressure associated with being fired from a job for doing it wrong, you can learn how to use programs for an organization like Photoshop or excel on your own time for a greater good. Additionally, the people you meet while serving the community can create job opportunities one day down the line.
4. It makes you feel like you have more time
A study published in the Harvard Business Review showed evidence to support the idea that those who volunteer feel they have more time. This can happen because of the amount of productive time one spends in a day after volunteering, rather than doing a more passive activity.
5. It can make you a happier person
Volunteering has the effect of building empathy and making you smile more. A 2008 study showed that the more people volunteered, the happier they became. Though it is argued whether humans are altruistic through and through, it is a commonly held sentiment that giving back makes you feel good.
Whatever your reasons are for volunteering, its benefits on yourself and your community cannot be overstated.
Dr. Barbara Edwards Princeton is an internist with a passion for volunteering and living your healthiest life.