What Are the Mental Health Benefits of Volunteering?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Volunteer Work and Why Is It Important?Mental Health BenefitsPhysical Health BenefitsWays to Volunteer

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Volunteer Work and Why Is It Important?

Mental Health Benefits

Physical Health Benefits

Ways to Volunteer

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When you spend your time volunteering, you’re certainly using your time constructively. Whether it’s building houses forHabitat for Humanityor working at a food bank on the weekends, volunteering also makes you feel good.

At the same time that you’re giving back to others, volunteering also gives you a variety of physical and mental health benefits.

When you volunteer, you freely give your time with no expectation of any compensation. Many people enjoy assisting in their community. You can also volunteer at your work place or through various charities and philanthropic organizations online.

Volunteering enables you to feel that you’re part of something greater than yourself. That might mean being part of your child’s education when you volunteer to put on a Career Day for the high school. Or feeling more connected to the world after the GoFundMe you set up for your Ukranian friend generates thousands of donations from across the world.

You don’t feellonely, isolated or alone when you volunteer. Volunteering prevents you from worrying about your own battles and gives you a new perspective. It also enables you to contribute positively to the world.

Mental Health Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering Makes You Feel Good

Giving really does make you feel good. Your body releasesendorphinswhichHarvard Healthcalls the “brain’s natural pain reliever”when you volunteer or do something you enjoy. Endorphins create a sense of well-being. Sometimes people call what you’re feeling a “helper’s high.”

Volunteering Boosts Your Happiness

Enjoyable and meaningful activities likehelping others can increase your happiness. In a study published in theJournal of Happiness Studies,researchers found that people who volunteer are happier than those who do not.

Using data from about 70,000 participants in the United Kingdom, scientists found that compared to participants who didn’t volunteer, those who volunteered in the past year were more satisfied with their lives. They rated their overall health as better, too.

Another outcome of the study: the researchers found that people who volunteered at least once a month reported better mental health than those who volunteered rarely or not at all.

Volunteering Reduces Loneliness and Stress

Lacking human contact or feeling alone can flood your body with cortisol. According to the Cleveland Clinic,high levels ofcortisolin your system not only cause more stress, but you risk impairing your cognitive performance. You also increase your risk of developing inflammation and heart disease as well as impairing your immune system.

Volunteering Builds Friendships, Social Interaction, and Engagement

Participating in a shared activity brings people closer together. You’ll likely be actively walking and getting more exercise. You won’t be thinking about your troubles for a while and you’ll probably make new friends.

Having friends is important asfriendsoffer emotional support, build your confidence, and help you reduce stress.

When volunteering, you’ll also become more socially engaged.Social engagement promotes brain health.

Volunteering Reduces Depression

Saying yes to a volunteer opportunity can also contribute to diminishing your rate of depression. Scientific researchhas shown that volunteering lowersdepression levels for those over 65. So, volunteering is beneficial for seniors.

Physical Health Benefits of Volunteering

Based on one studythat included adults over age 50, those who volunteered regularly were less likely to develop high blood pressure than the non-volunteering participants. High blood pressure is a key health indicator because it contributes to heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

Being of service to others and participating with others in a group to better the world can lift our spirits. It can also have real-world effects on our bodies. As you keep your brain and body active, you ward off cognitive decline and keep yourself healthy.

If you do want to volunteer regularly, which has many benefits as discussed previously, there are deserving organizations that would welcome your help. In fact, some organizations, like non-profits, count on volunteers to carry out some duties due to limited funding.

Here are possible ways you can volunteer in your community:

Remember that if you can’t volunteer in these ways, you might make use of a special talent or skill instead. For example, if have great tech skills, you can volunteer to be the “go to” person for an organization’s computers and printers once a week.

If you’re good at and love taking pictures, you might volunteer to submit photos for an institution’s brochure or update a charity’s website over the summer. Don’t forget that if you can’t volunteer with your time, you can also donate financially.

Digital Ways to Find Volunteer Opportunities

You can find opportunities in your community as well as online. Check out these two great organizations online to find out about amazing groups and how you can help those in need:

Top Nonprofits and Charities for Mental Health

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Endorphins: The Brain’s Natural Pain Reliever.Lawton RN, Gramatki I, Watt W, Fujiwara D.Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering.Journal of Happiness Studies. 2021;22(2):599-624.Cleveland Clinic.What Happens in Your Body When You’re Lonely?Musick MA, Wilson J.Volunteering and depression: the role of psychological and social resources in different age groups.Soc Sci Med. 2003;56(2):259-269. doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00025-4Sneed RS, Cohen S.A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults.Psychol Aging. 2013;28(2):578-586. doi:10.1037/a0032718

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.Endorphins: The Brain’s Natural Pain Reliever.Lawton RN, Gramatki I, Watt W, Fujiwara D.Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering.Journal of Happiness Studies. 2021;22(2):599-624.Cleveland Clinic.What Happens in Your Body When You’re Lonely?Musick MA, Wilson J.Volunteering and depression: the role of psychological and social resources in different age groups.Soc Sci Med. 2003;56(2):259-269. doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00025-4Sneed RS, Cohen S.A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults.Psychol Aging. 2013;28(2):578-586. doi:10.1037/a0032718

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Harvard Health Publishing.Endorphins: The Brain’s Natural Pain Reliever.Lawton RN, Gramatki I, Watt W, Fujiwara D.Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering.Journal of Happiness Studies. 2021;22(2):599-624.Cleveland Clinic.What Happens in Your Body When You’re Lonely?Musick MA, Wilson J.Volunteering and depression: the role of psychological and social resources in different age groups.Soc Sci Med. 2003;56(2):259-269. doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00025-4Sneed RS, Cohen S.A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults.Psychol Aging. 2013;28(2):578-586. doi:10.1037/a0032718

Harvard Health Publishing.Endorphins: The Brain’s Natural Pain Reliever.

Lawton RN, Gramatki I, Watt W, Fujiwara D.Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering.Journal of Happiness Studies. 2021;22(2):599-624.

Cleveland Clinic.What Happens in Your Body When You’re Lonely?

Musick MA, Wilson J.Volunteering and depression: the role of psychological and social resources in different age groups.Soc Sci Med. 2003;56(2):259-269. doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00025-4

Sneed RS, Cohen S.A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults.Psychol Aging. 2013;28(2):578-586. doi:10.1037/a0032718

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