Is stress harming your health? There would be an inexpensive but effective remedy to reduce the influence of stress on our daily lives, it would be enough to adopt a more sociable behavior or to help those close to you. Holding the door, smiling, listening to friends would help reduce stress, according to the conclusions of a study published in the medical journal Clinical Psychological Science.
Researchers at Yale University (United States) conducted a study for 14 days with 77 adults, aged 18 to 44, equipped with smartphones to inform each evening about their experiences and their emotions of the day. The scientists determined a stress score for the volunteers based on their statements. The participants of the study also had to indicate if they had helped their loved ones, participated in social actions.
Helping loved ones improves health
The findings of this study reveal that helping others increases participants’ daily well-being, almost in real time. Scientists have also observed that people who donate and spend more time helping loved ones have higher levels of positive emotions and better overall mental health.
“Helping friends, acquaintances, and even strangers will lessen the impact of the factors of stress on our emotions and our mental health. Thus, by accomplishing small things for others, as simple as holding a door, or giving a smile, reduces the influence of one’s own stress,” explains Elizabeth Raposa, researcher in the Department of Psychology at Yale University. “Proactive help can also be an effective strategy for escaping one’s own stress.”
“It would be great if ‘simple’ benevolent and prosocial habits could be recommended as an appreciable intervention to better resist stress,” concludes Elizabeth Raposa.
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