Researchers say giving leads to a healthier, happier life(The Christian Science Monitor)
"It's abundantly clear from a number of studies that people who live generous lives also live happier lives."
– Stephen Post, bioethicist, Case Western Reserve University
So encouraging are empirical results on altruistic love, that Post and science journalist Jill Neimark have co-written a new book to share the findings, titled "Why Good Things Happen to Good People." The findings include, for example:
- Generous behavior reduces depression and risk of suicide in adolescents.
- Actively helping others during the teenage years promotes good physical and mental health all the way into late adulthood.
- Volunteerism on the part of older adults significantly reduces mortality.
- Giving to others enables people to forgive themselves for mistakes, a key element in well-being.
- Praying for others reduces health difficulties among older adults.
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