Want to Live Longer? Find Nature’s Best Kept Secret Here

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The fountain of youth is not a mysterious potion, it’s not expensive, and it’s easy to do. The latest in the study of longevity, is that we can extend our lifespan with a very simple action. The truth is… people live longer when they help others. Volunteering and doing acts of charity is guaranteed to increase your lifespan by 50 percent! OK, I clearly just made that number up and it’s not guaranteed, but studies are showing that those who help others tend to live longer. Bob Hope said: “If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” And Bob should know; he was an American actor and comedian who did a lot to help others, and lived to the ripe old age of 100.

There are many well documented benefits to volunteering: it helps to increase one’s life satisfaction, ease feelings of sadness and depression, it benefits the heart, can decrease blood pressure, and reduce stress. Exactly how volunteering translates to these benefits is not entirely clear, but the key is that these acts of kindness must be done consistently and ideally over the long term. Doing good for others can help us feel valuable, increase feelings of self-esteem and give our life an overall sense of purpose. It’s possible that being in the company of others is what helps us feel happier when we do charitable acts. It definitely can help improve our social life, especially if we do it in groups. Volunteer work can be physical, which in part might explain the benefits for the heart. Although a stronger case could probably be made for the effect of hormones: helping others decreases cortisol levels, the stress hormone that’s released when our body goes into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode. Higher cortisol in our blood stream has a negative impact on our heart, by increasing heart rate, blood pressure and overall inflammation.

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Interestingly, for teens there are some unique benefits to volunteering and community service. It appears to help improve academic performance and the chance for youth to complete their high school studies. It increases resilience, a sense of community belonging and social responsibility. Regular volunteering between the ages of 12-18 seems to decrease the risk of involvement in future criminal activity. As with adults, it helps create greater mental/emotional balance, contributes to overall feelings of happiness and a positive sense of self-worth. Examples of the type of activities used in these studies were visiting old folks’ homes, working at soup kitchens (places where food is given for free to the homeless), and raising money for charity. Regular involvement in these kinds of activities leads to a greater chance that your teen will engage in volunteer work as an adult.

Volunteering and doing acts of charity not only benefits others, but it has the pleasant side effect of quite possibly helping us live a longer and more fulfilling life. That seems like a pretty good trade-off. There are many opportunities in Beijing to lend a helping hand, so let’s get out there with our kids and make a difference in someone’s life – it will make a difference in ours as well.

photos：C-VILLE Weeklysignupgenius.com， SheKnows，newsroom.clevelandclinic.org，colorado.ourcommunitynow.com，ConsumerAffairs， verywell.com

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