CONNECT: Jan 2012

Doing “Good” is part of Doing “Well”

Remember the last time you went out of your way for another, not because you had to, but because you wanted to? Remember how you great you felt? Why did you do this? Was it really just because you wanted to pay it forward….because you wanted to live the “Golden Rule” and treat others how you wanted to be treated? Maybe….but maybe there’s actually a deeper drive, a subconscious part of each of us that knows “Doing Good” is in fact very much linked to “Doing Well” for ourselves, and one key to personal health and longevity.

Carolyn Schwartz, a research professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, found that when multiple sceloris sufferers offered peer support calls to others with the disease those receiving support did in fact gain some mild benefit, but the real beneficiaries were those providing the support – often with dramatic improvements in their quality of life. Similar to Schwartz, ABC news reported in 2007 that researchers from Duke University found that former cardiac patients who would come in and visit current patients often had better heart health after their heart attack, while Dr. Gail Ironson and a group from the University of Miami followed HIV patients who volunteered, and found that HIV patients who helped others, experienced lower stress levels and higher immune resistance.

But why?

Research published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science suggests there may actually be a biochemical explanation for the positive personal health and wellness responses associated with doing good for others, including activation of a brain area responsible for producing chemicals, like oxytocin, that make us feel good and promote human bonding.

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Have you connected socially and done good for others recently? We have, and if you missed it, we hope you’ll join us next time – or find a way to connect on your own. After all, it’s not just about “doing good” it’s for your health and a way to “do well”!

Check out the video below from Pro-Activity’s first annual Stakeholder’s Holiday Extravaganza! We decided we’d make a fun game out of doing good by seeing which team could make the most perfect sandwiches for a NJ-based food pantry in need!