Helping Others Can Make You Happier – Here’s Why

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, reports that people who donate to charity and help others have increased production of oxytocin, a mood-enhancing hormone involved in things like reproduction that is not long thought to decrease with age.

The study involved about 100 people between the ages of 18 and 99 who shared a video of a young boy with cancer. The researchers then compared the participants’ blood oxytocin levels before and after watching the movie. The results showed that those who secreted the most hormones were the most likely to give. Many of the study participants were elderly.

Paul J Zak, Ph.D., a study author and director of the Center for Neuroeconomic Research at Claremont Graduate University in California, told Healthline that the study is the first to look at the link and an increase in oxytocin is shown in the elderly.

“What is surprising is the strength of the relationship between doing good deeds and releasing more oxytocin,” says Zak. most amazing thing I’ve seen in 20 years working in the lab.”

Zak said he was drawn to the study after years of looking at the effects of oxytocin on young people. This hormone has long been known to exhibit increased production in “pro-social” behavior at a younger age. Zak wanted to see if that could happen to older people.

What the researchers found, he said, was also “in line with our intuition,” as it is generally assumed that those who give and give are happier for longer.

“By the way,” he added, “the happiest people also live the longest.”

Jorge Barraza, PhD, professor of consumer behavior in the online Master of Science in Applied Psychology program at the University of Southern California and co-author of the study, said: Great results for me.”

“Very little is known about the role oxytocin plays as we age,” he told Healthline.

Because oxytocin is involved in reproduction, it has long been hypothesized that as we age, production of oxytocin decreases, he said.

Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, a neuropsychologist in New York City, director of Comprehend the Mind, and a professor at Columbia University, told Healthline that the study surprised her after years of thinking Oxytocin production decreases with age. She sees it as good news and potentially a way to improve our lives both physically and mentally as we age.

“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy” – Hafeez said – “You do well and it makes you feel good, so you want to do more, and you will.”

She says research shows that doing good deeds releases oxytocin, or as she calls it, a “feel-good” hormone.

So could that mean that doing good from a young age – or doing more good things as we age – can help us live longer and better lives?

Zak and Barraza want to find out. They founded a company called Immersion that was looking to use wearables to help track things like oxytocin levels and what drives them.

Act now

In the meantime, says Zak, everyone – of all ages and social backgrounds – can take some kind of positive action. Zak also suggests doing more things in groups — exercise, hobbies, church — anywhere that puts you in a fun group setting will help. With each step, research shows, your oxytocin production will increase.

“The big point here is that anyone can do this,” says Zak. “The brain can adapt.”

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