“Help your neighbor, you would help yourself”, this adage seems to have been validated by British researchers, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal BMJ Open. They reveal that volunteering brings mental well-being and better health to the elderly. In question, the benefits of human contact on mental and physical balance.
Researchers at the University of Southampton and the University of Birmingham in the UK analyzed the medical data of 66,343 (47% of them male) individuals in the British Household Panel Survey, a study that examines social habits and public health.
Each participant answered 12 questions focusing on well-being, happiness, distress and depression. These results were highlighted with the volunteer activity of the participants.
Helping others allows us to age in better physical and mental health
The researchers established that the majority of participants (80%) were not engaged in volunteer activities and 25% of those aged 60 to 74 did so, while only 17% of those aged 15 to 29 were involved. to give time to charities.
Finally, scientists have found that women are more inclined than men to volunteer (22% versus 19%).
While participants’ well-being and physical health decline with advancing age, the study found that the link was not so strong for those who devote time to helping others. Thus, “volunteers” obtain better scores on the well-being test.
This study confirms the results of a study published by researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom which revealed that volunteering made people happier and also increased their life expectancy.
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