With the festive season around the corner, everyone is scrambling to plan and get the perfect gift for their loved one. But why do we like giving gifts and why do we find it important to ourselves to give a gift that will make someone truly happy? Well, according to research there are some benefits to giving to others.
November is the time when we, as Gondwanians, pack Back-to-School Christmas Bags for the school children who have done well this school year. This is in an effort to encourage children to return to school the next year, but also to give them joy by adding gifts and stationery to the reusable bag. As we packed these bags, I felt the same way I feel when I give a gift to one of my family members on Christmas Eve – absolute joy and inner peace! Turns out, I am experiencing more than joy at this stage, I am experiencing a bunch of mental and physical health benefits!
Here are 3 reasons why giving to others is good for you:
1. Giving makes us feel happy
Not only does giving something to someone else give us “feel good” such as serotonin and dopamine, but it also makes us grateful for the small things in our lives. Just realizing that my small contribution to someone else's life can mean the world to them – makes me think of what we take for granted!
A study in 2008 by Colleen Walsh from The Harvard Gazette showed that participants found joy in giving to others rather than receiving money.
Together with happiness, the act of giving also gives us hope in mankind and our intentions.
2. Giving is good for your overall health and wellbeing
Giving to others has proven to decrease stress and lower blood pressure, this in turn helps relieve some of the symptoms of chronic illnesses and even improves their overall health, leading to a longer life expectancy.
Increased self-esteem and lowered depression can be a direct result of helping and giving to people around you. This can even include helping an elderly woman to load her groceries in her car or even donating a Back-to-School Christmas Bag to pupils in Namibia.
3. Giving helps us to grow in a social manner
The act of giving is contagious and creates a bond between people that is not easily lost. If one person gives, another person will do the same and in doing so we spread generosity and love throughout our community.
Giving makes us feel closer to that person, ensuring that social connections are made and your perception of that person is geared toward a more positive way of thinking and acting.
“No one has ever become poor from giving.” - Anne Frank.
These words are very true. Every day we receive and every day we give – if this is a simple handshake, a friendly hug or a large box wrapped with a large bow!
Author: Lenize Reinhardt