The UK Foundation for Mental Health said that being willful for other’s good is beneficial to our mental health and our well-being, it improves our confidence, happiness and optimism. This happens because the generous acts can generate a string of similar actions and contribute to create a more positive society. It promotes physiological changes in the brain that lead us to be happier, it helps us to forget our problems and have a higher self-esteem through these activities that imply a relationship with others. It also leads to better social integration and it’s an excellent help against loneliness and isolation.
Being aware that there are people who are in much worse situations than ours give us a new perspective on life, a more optimistic view, which lead us to happiness.
There are also physical benefits that come from the decreasing of negative feelings like anger or aggression, as well as from a reduction of our stress level, which strengthen our immune system helping us to live longer
Reference: Romero, S. (2014). Los beneficios de ser altruista. Obtenido de Muy Interesante: http://www.muyinteresante.es/salud/articulo/los-beneficios-de-ser-altruista-301402315189
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