Volunteers
We need proactive committed volunteers to set up and manage 'Knitting for the Needy' groups in their local areas.
Who can volunteer? Anyone! (Even if you can't knit)
We can't do it without you!
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Volunteering Makes You Happy And Adds Meaning And Purpose To Your Life
Did you know that time and time again researchers have found that people who volunteer and give are much happier then those that don’t?
According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a huge study of 30,000 American households, found that those who did volunteer work were 42% more likely to consider themselves very happy than those who did none.
According to the survey, whatever the cause, those who gave (time or money) were happier by far than those who did not. Studies have found that those who give are also less inclined to feel sad or depressed than those who did not give.
Mr. Brooks, a Syracuse University Professor and the author of Who Really Cares—America’s Charity Divide: Who Gives, Who Doesn’t, and Why It Matters (Basic Books, 2006), the gap between the levels of happiness of those who give and those who do not is not simply explained by personal characteristics like income or religious belief.
By way of example, he introduces us to two people identical in every particular: income, faith, age, education, politics, gender, etc. One of them gives money and time (through volunteer work), while the other does not give either. As a result of giving, the first person will be, on average, 11 percentage points more likely to be very happy than the second.
For more information about these studies click here
Another interesting happiness research from International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) concludes that a person’s happiness is determined by three components: Genetics, Environment, and Intentional Activities. The first two, are products of DNA, parenting, and the environment of childhood.
These two factors account for about 60% of a person’s ability to be happy. The third factor, intentional activities, are those things a person chooses to do. These account for about 40% of a person’s happiness. Research studies focusing on this area identifies committing acts of kindness, and expressing gratitude and optimism as possible happiness enhancing activities.
Another interesting aspect of this research, when using these acts of kindness intentionally to increase one’s chances of being happy is – happiness increased when people intentionally committed several varied acts of kindness each week. It was found that performing a variety of kind acts resulted in higher levels of happiness, even one month after the study completed!
In her book, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (New York, Penguin Press, 2008), researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. found that performing acts of kindness toward others pays big returns for the person initiating the kindness. Dr. Lyubomirsky’s studies on kindness found that test subject’s happiness increased when they intentionally committed several acts of kindness each week.
For more information click here
Jordan Grafman is chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Grafman and his team study aspects of the human brain that set us apart from other species, with the aim of using that knowledge to better test when things go wrong in our brains.
Using a technique called functional MRI they found that their test subjects received more pleasure when they gave then they did when they received. And giving also excited areas of the brain that are not activated by receiving. One produces the so-called “cuddle hormone” oxytocin.
Grafman notes that the behaviour of giving activated the brains frontal lobes. The frontal lobes of the human brain are not only the most recently evolved, they are still evolving. He believes that donating and giving “more often in various ways is only going to support our own brain’s evolution. It’s good for the species– donate.”
For more about Grafmans study click here
In Buddhism it is taught that generosity gives rise to joy, joy gives rise to calm, and the mind that is calm is filled with ease, and settles readily into meditation. From meditation can come wisdom and deep understanding.
The Buddha places great emphasis on generosity because of this. It’s the first step on the spiritual path, and indeed all religions teach the value of generosity.
The joy of giving is known in Buddhism as “Mudita” – joy at the good fortune of others. An act of generosity can be a blessing not only for the giver and for the recipient, but can also inspire good feelings in people who see it happening.
Want to learn more about Mudita? click here
In a survey of thousands of volunteers across the United States, Allen Luks (1988) found that people who helped other people consistently reported better health than peers in their age group, and many stated that this health improvement began when they started to volunteer. Helpers report a distinct physical sensation associated with helping; about half report that they experienced a “high” feeling, 43 percent felt stronger and more energetic, 28 percent felt warm, 22 percent felt calmer and less depressed, 21 percent experienced greater feelings of self worth and 13 percent experienced fewer aches and pains.
Frank Riessman was the man who defined the “helper therapy” principle. Riessman observed that the act of helping another heals the helper more than the person helped. In the early 1970s, the “helper therapy” principle was noted in a few premier psychiatry journals as professional researchers found that helping others was beneficial in a variety of contexts, including among teens.
This helper therapy was used for weight loss, smoking cessation, substance abuse, alcoholism, mental illness and recovery, or countless other needs.
The members of these groups are replacing negative emotional states with the positive state called “the helper’s high,” a pleasurable and euphoric emotional sensation of energy and warmth.
For more about the helper therapy and the helpers high click here
The Health Benefits of Volunteering documents major findings from more than 30 rigorous and longitudinal studies that reviewed the relationship between health and volunteering. The studies, which were controlled for other factors, found that volunteering leads to improved physical and mental health.
Research suggests that volunteering is particularly beneficial to the health of older adults and those serving 100 hours annually. According to the report: A study of adults age 65 and older found that the positive effect of volunteering on physical and mental health is due to the personal sense of accomplishment an individual gains from his or her volunteer activities.
Another study found that volunteering led to lower rates of depression in individuals 65 and older. A Duke study found that individuals who volunteered after experiencing heart attacks reported reductions in despair and depression
To read more on how health and happiness improves health and wellbeing click here
Happiness is a choice my friends so what are you waiting for? Get involved in volunteering and spread some joy in this world and you’ll find that often the person who benefits the most from your kind deeds is you!
Want to feel happier, healthier and at the same time make the world a better place? Join Our Volunteer Family Today
Still not convinced?
If you want more information on the benefits of volunteering check out these links below
A collection of articles on the benefits of volunteering
The Effects of Volunteering on the Physical and Mental Health of Older People
Volunteering For Happiness And Health
Volunteering To Ease Depression & Promote Greater Self Confidence