[MD-Sligo] FW: Volunteer Work Is Good for Your Brain

Tue Apr 2 15:43:10 UTC 2024

From: Jan Bailey <jlb021951 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 5:28 AM
To: terrypowers59 at gmail.com
Subject: Volunteer Work Is Good for Your Brain

Volunteer Work Is Good for Your Brain

By Dr. Mercola

Only about 25 percent of Americans volunteer,
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn1> 1 despite the fact that doing good for others stands to
benefit everyone involved. Volunteer work is unique in that it often
involves social, physical and cognitive dimensions, and research has shown
that retired seniors who engage in activities that require moderate effort
in two or more of these dimensions slash their risk of
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/02/16/early-dement
ia-sign.aspx> dementia by 47 percent.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn2> 2

"An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life protects against
dementia and AD [
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/22/alzheimers-d
isease-prevention.aspx> Alzheimer's disease]," the researchers wrote,
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn3> 3 and volunteering is one way to achieve this. Since
volunteers are needed in a seemingly endless variety of organizations, from
animal shelters and schools to food pantries and youth services, there's a
volunteer opportunity to appeal to virtually everyone. It costs you nothing,
save for some time, and while giving back to those around you you'll reap
impressive benefits to your brain.

Volunteering Lowers Your Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Decline

The brain benefits of volunteering are so great that researchers writing in
the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggested doctors should
start writing their senior patients prescriptions for volunteer work. They
found that in individuals aged 60 and over, volunteering regularly decreased
the risk of cognitive impairment over a 14-year period:
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn4> 4

"Consistent civic engagement in old age is associated with lower risk of
cognitive impairment and provides impetus for interventions to protect
against the onset of cognitive impairment. Given the increasing number of
baby boomers entering old age, the findings support the public health
benefits of volunteering and the potential role of geriatricians, who can
promote volunteering by incorporating 'prescriptions to volunteer' into
their patient care."

Separate research published in The Journal of the Economics of Ageing
similarly revealed that taking part in volunteer work "significantly
forestalls" the progress of
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/08/27/reverse-cogn
itive-decline.aspx> cognitive decline in people aged 60 years and older.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn5> 5 "Volunteering is a pathway through which you can increase
brain activity," Michelle Carlson, associate professor in the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, told AARP.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn6> 6 Carlson co-wrote a small study of older women who were at
high risk of cognitive decline.

They engaged in volunteer work 15 hours a week for six months, assisting
elementary school teachers with children's literacy and academic
achievement. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), it was
shown the women had increases in brain activity in areas involved in
executive functions, along with behavioral improvements to match.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn7> 7

Volunteering may even lead to increases in volume in brain regions such as
the hippocampus, which is involved in memory, as opposed to the declines in
volume typically seen with age. One study published in Alzheimer's and
Dementia, for instance, revealed that men and women who volunteered for two
years had increases in brain volume of up to 1.6 percent and 0.54 percent,
respectively, while those in a control group experienced declines in volume.

"These findings showed that purposeful activity embedded within a social
health promotion program halted and, in men, reversed declines in brain
volume in regions vulnerable to dementia," the researchers concluded.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn8> 8 What's more, the longer the volunteering took place, the
greater the brain benefits appeared to be.

Volunteering May Buffer Daily Stress, Benefit Your Heart

Exactly how volunteering helps brain health remains to be seen, although
it's been suggested that the social element of helping others, along with
the stimulation of learning new things, could be factors.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn9> 9 It's also quite possible that the brain benefits stem, at
least in part, from other body wide benefits that volunteering offers.
Volunteering can lower your risk of
<https://articles.mercola.com/depression.aspx> depression and
<https://articles.mercola.com/anxiety.aspx> anxiety
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn10> 10 and even boost your psychological well-being.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn11> 11

Volunteering to help others can even lead to a so-called "helper's high,"
which may occur because doing good releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin
in your body while lowering levels of stress hormones like cortisol. When
researchers tested the buffering role of daily volunteer work on stress
levels, it was found that salivary cortisol levels were lower on days when
participants volunteered compared to days they did not, offering legitimate
stress-buffering effects. Researchers wrote in Social Science & Medicine:
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn12> 12

"Our findings are suggestive of a unique, but unobserved, neurobiological
mechanism underlying the link between volunteering and better health.
Volunteer programs designed to help others in need may be considered as an
intervention strategy for individuals living under stressful conditions."

Research from Carnegie Mellon University further revealed that people who
volunteered for at least 200 hours a year were 40 percent less likely to
develop
<https://www.mercola.com/Downloads/bonus/high-blood-pressure/default.aspx>
high blood pressure than those who did not.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn13> 13 The type of volunteer work appeared to be irrelevant.
Rather, it was the amount of time spent doing it that mattered. Indeed,
social interaction, and the stress relief it can provide, is likely one
major reason why volunteering has a beneficial effect on blood pressure, as
it's a well-known fact that stress elevates blood pressure.

The study's lead author, Rodlescia Sneed, also pointed to social
interactions as a key reason why volunteering is so beneficial, noting in a
press release:
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn14> 14

"As people get older, social transitions like retirement, bereavement and
the departure of children from the home often leave older adults with fewer
natural opportunities for social interaction . Participating in volunteer
activities may provide older adults with social connections that they might
not have otherwise. There is strong evidence that having good social
connections promotes healthy aging and reduces risk for a number of negative
health outcomes."

Impressive, Whole-Body Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering's many benefits are not limited to one area of the body like
your brain or your heart but rather appear to extend bodywide. Volunteerism
is linked to lower all-cause mortality in older adults,
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn15> 15 for instance, and additional benefits such as the
following have also been noted:
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn16> 16

*        Greater life satisfaction

*        Greater self-esteem

*        Increased personal control

*        Fewer depressive symptoms

*        Delaying the onset of functional limitations that predict
psychological distress among older adults

Physical activity is another area where volunteering shines, as many types
of volunteer work require moderate physical exertion. People who volunteer
have been found to be more physically active than those who do not,
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn17> 17 while "the simple act of walking to and from a volunteer
site may promote increased activity among otherwise sedentary individuals,"
researchers wrote in Psychology and Aging.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn18> 18

In fact, when older adults in fair health engaged in intensive volunteering
in an elementary school for 15 hours or more each week, continuing for the
full duration of the school year, they reported a number of physical
improvements, including improved stair-climbing speed and increased walking
speed.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn19> 19 Even people with chronic or serious illnesses stand to
benefit from volunteering.

According to a report by the Corporation for National and Community Service
(CNCS), a U.S. agency that helps Americans help others through service,
people suffering from chronic pain had reductions in pain intensity and
disability when they volunteered to help others with chronic pain.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn20> 20 "Making a connection" and "a sense of purpose" were two
themes that emerged during the study, suggesting that these are primary
reasons why volunteering proves to be so rewarding to volunteers.

In another study, people who volunteered following a
<https://articles.mercola.com/heart-attack-signs-symptoms.aspx> heart attack
reported reductions in despair and depression, which are linked to an
increased risk of mortality, along with a greater sense of purpose.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn21> 21 Research has even shown that states with a high volunteer
rate have lower rates of mortality and incidences of heart disease.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn22> 22 According to CNCS:
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn23> 23

"While these studies may differ in terms of their specific findings, they
consistently demonstrate that there is a significant relationship between
volunteering and good health; when individuals volunteer, they not only help
their community but also experience better health in later years, whether in
terms of greater longevity, higher functional ability or lower rates of
depression."

Meeting the 'Volunteering Threshold'

It's unclear exactly how much volunteer work is necessary to reap its
physical and mental rewards. However, some findings indicated that
volunteering for about 100 hours a year may offer the greatest health
advantages, and CNCS states that "it is not the case that the more an
individual volunteers, the greater the health benefits." Instead, they
suggest there is a "volunteer threshold" that must be met - volunteering at
least one or two hours a week - and after that no additional health benefits
are gained from volunteering more.

That being said, another study found that volunteering 40 hours or less per
year, or volunteering for just one organization (as opposed to two or more),
led to the lowest risk of mortality,
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn24> 24 while others have suggested that volunteering too much
may overwhelm an individual, with negative health consequences.

In addition, older volunteers may stand to gain the greatest health benefits
compared to younger volunteers, possibly because in the case of seniors,
volunteering may provide important ties to the community along with a sense
of purpose.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn25> 25

Still other research suggests that while volunteering regularly is
associated with higher levels of mental well-being, this isn't apparent
until age 40 and beyond.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn26> 26 Ultimately, if you're considering volunteering, you
should choose a cause that matters to you and invest as much time as you
comfortably can. If you start to feel stressed by the obligation to
volunteer, it may be a sign you've committed too much time.

Volunteering should leave you feeling good about your accomplishments and
excited to continue your contribution. Ideally, for the greatest health,
mental and emotional gains, especially as they pertain to your brain, seek
out volunteer opportunities that provide opportunity for social connection
and mental stimulation, and which help you to feel a sense of purpose, such
as tutoring.

On the other hand, volunteer work that requires more physical activity, such
as gardening, can increase your weekly activity, offering another set of
benefits. And while you're at it, be sure you keep a positive attitude and
are volunteering for the right reasons. It's possible, and has been shown by
at least one study, that motives for volunteering matter, and people who
volunteer for altruistic reasons enjoy increased
<https://www.mercola.com/infographics/general-health-guidelines.htm>
longevity, whereas those who do so for more selfish reasons do not.
<https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/03/15/volunteer-wo
rk.aspx#_edn27> 27

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