What is Altruism?
When someone has a genuine, unselfish regard for the welfare of another living being, it is called altruism. It is the giving or donating of your time, expertise or resources (including money).
People can be anonymous or covert in their altruism, for example, they can put money in the Salvation Army red kettle. Or, people can be more obvious or overt in their altruism, for example, volunteering to coach youth soccer on Saturday mornings.
When someone feels stressed and overwhelmed, it is usually the time when they feel the least able to give to someone else. Ironically altruism may be the greatest form of stress relief. When life is stressful for an individual or a society, their offering of time, expertise and resources shrinks. This is because they perceive that any reserves must be devoted to simply existing.
Covert and overt acts of altruism are signs of a mentally and physically healthy individual or society.
Example of Altruism: Volunteer Fire Departments
Volunteer firefighting is a prime example of altruism. People who choose to be volunteer firefighters donate their time, expertise and frequently financial resources to safeguard their communities. They respond to all types of emergencies, fire outbreaks and natural disasters.
Why do people want to be volunteer firefighters? The answer is a probably different for everyone, but all include a unique blend of personal satisfaction, a sense of belonging and community impact, a sense of altruism.
What you may not know is that volunteers comprise the majority of fire departments in the country and account for 65% of firefighters in the United States. In September of 2022 the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Quincy, MA estimated that of the 1,041,200 firefighters across the country, 676,900 are volunteer. That is a significant number of people who choose altruism, to freely give of their time and resources.
The Positive Effects of Altruism
Doing something for someone else can distract your thoughts from your own problems. It is a stress reliever. It can help with psychological well-being. Some people who have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression report a decrease in symptoms by helping others.
People who do something for someone else report higher levels of happiness. It can also improve your quality of life and boost your overall life satisfaction:
Belonging or Emotional Health
Altruism can create a sense of belonging, that you are part of something bigger than yourself. And let’s be honest, doing something for someone else just feels good! It offers a sense of satisfaction.
Altruism can also reduce isolation. Realizing that you are not the only person suffering or struggling with difficult life situations can feed into optimism and give you a renewed sense of community.
Doing something for someone else usually results in meeting new people. It also encourages making new connections with people. Because these associations have altruistic roots, more often than not these bonds can run deep.
Self-Esteem
Altruism gives a sense of purpose. You are making an impact on your community, even if what you are doing is helping one person at a time. Donating your time or resources gives you a sense of fulfillment, a sense of satisfaction.
By doing something for someone else you may be able to expand or improve your skills in a particular area. Adding volunteerism to your resume may make you stand out and find that job you have always wanted.
Maybe you have been a cook during your employment years and in retirement you can continue to use your expertise by volunteering at a soup kitchen. You can even mentor others by this altruism!
Physical Health
Doing things for other people can maintain cognitive processing that can sometimes declines in aging. Altruism helps shift focus from yourself to lowering stress hormones (cortisol) and boosting “helper’s high” chemicals in the brain (dopamine).
Altruism can help maintain physical strength, mobility and balance. People who are altruistic tend to be the most active and want to take care of themselves. They are more likely to be proactive with prevention of disease, for example, a daily walk.
A study by Carnegie Mellon University found that adults over 50 who volunteered at least 100 hours a year were less likely to develop high blood pressure. Researchers attributed this to the stress-reducing effects of volunteering and the increased physical activity in many volunteer tasks.
Summary
Altruism can be a barometric guide to the emotional and physical health of an individual or a society. Remember, when you do something for someone else, it benefits you as much as it benefits the other person or the organization. Can you give a little of yourself?
If you are looking for ideas on how you can decrease your stress with acts of altruism, please refer to my book, Crush Your Stress: 302 Coping Skills for Managing Your Stress. In the chapter on altruism, there are 30 coping skills, some that involve very little time, expertise or resources.
With warmest regards,
Thank you so much for reading this blog. If you enjoyed the content, please check out my other blogs at:
RelationshipsRelearned.com
RVingNomads.com
In addition to blogs and articles, I have written a series of self-help books called The Personal Empowerment Series and a fictional series named The Charlotte Novella Series. To view my books and novellas I have written, please go to my Amazon Authors Page.
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| AI has not been used to create any content for my website, articles, blogs or books. All material is original unless otherwise noted. All photos and graphics within my website and blogs were taken or created by David Harrington or Kathryn Maietta. |
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