We already knew that generous and altruistic people lived longer (and happier) than the others. According to a new international study (conducted jointly by the University of Basel, Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia, the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin), taking care of loved ones would make it possible also to increaselife expectancy, especially among seniors …
To come to this conclusion, the researchers worked with 500 German volunteers, men and women aged 70 to 103. These were followed for almost 20 years, from 1990 to 2009.
Generosity rewarded
The verdict is quite incredible: 50% of Grand parents who regularly took care of their grandchildren (or who supported their children on a daily basis, for example with household chores) were still alive 10 years after the start of the experiment. Conversely, 50% of the participants who declared that they did not invest too much in their loved ones had died 5 years after the start of the experience. Is taking care of your loved ones the secret to health?
But the benefits of generosity are not limited to the family circle. Thus, the elderly far from their family circle but invested in charitable associations (with isolated people, the homeless or precarious families, for example) also showed an above-average life expectancy – of around 7 years.
“Warning: this link between generosity and life expectancy only works if the support provided is moderate: it does not work when the person is overly worried,” explain the scientists. Conversely, an intense charitable investment provokes stress which reflects on the body and can participate in the development (or accentuate) physical or psychological disorders. Moral: worrying about others is good, but let’s not forget to take care of ourselves. A good resolution for 2017?
Source: Evolution and Human Behavior
