Like many people, I find that stress transforms me into a nasty combination of Oscar the Grouch and Scrooge McDuck. The more pressure I am under, the more irritable I feel - and the less generous I become. I partly blame our culture. I've read enough wellness advice to know that I need to prioritise my own needs over other people's. And so, when I feel under pressure, I have often made it a habit to practise small indulgences aimed at restoring my mental equilibrium, while insulating myself from all but the most essential social commitments.
Having read the latest psychological research, I can't help but wonder if this attitude only exacerbates my bad mood. A wealth of new studies has shown that being kind to others is often the most effective means of suppressing the physiological and psychological stress response. Whether we are giving our time to a charity, "paying it forward" in a coffee shop, or providing emotional succour to a friend in need, altruism can boost our wellbeing in ways that we simply do not experience from treating ourselves. Other-care, it seems, is often one of the best forms of self-care.
My interest as a science writer was first piqued by a series of papers examining the surprising vitality of volunteers. Over hundreds of studies, scientists have found that engaging in unpaid work for the good of others brings a notable boost to wellbeing. These include a greater sense of meaning and purpose, more self-esteem, higher overall life satisfaction and reduced risk of depression. It even seems to reduce the risk of death. "The effect on mortality really stands out," said Beth Nichol, an associate lecturer at Northumbria University and lead author of a recent scientific review summarising the evidence.
この記事は The Guardian Weekly の June 21, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Guardian Weekly の June 21, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
What Can America Expect From Trump 2.0
THE 45TH AND 47TH commander-in-chief will face fewer limits on his ambition when he is sworn in again in January.
New World Order How Will Trump Reshape US Foreign Policy?
DURING THE FIRST TRUMP TERM, Richard Moore, then the political director of the UK Foreign Offi ce and now the head of MI6, has admitted that half of Britain’s diplomats woke up each morning dreading what they might read on the president’s Twitter feed.
Seed drill: what can I make with tahini beyond just hummus?
'Tahini has a beautiful versatility,\" says Fadi Kattan, chef/co-founder of Akub in London and author of Bethlehem, \"from a drizzle over your morning toast or granola, to an earthy background flavour in a sauce, to all sorts of cakes and cookies.\"
Trump unleashed will be even worse than last time's dress rehearsal Jonathan Freedland
Are you ready for Trump unbound? You may have thought the former and future president was already pretty unrestrained, not least because Donald Trump has never shown anything but brazen disrespect for boundaries or limits of any kind. And you would be right. But, as an earlier entertainer turned president – and Trump combines the two roles – liked to say: You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Trump's return is bleak for America and the world
This is an exceptionally bleak and frightening moment for the United States and the world. Donald Trump swept the electoral college and the popular vote -giving him not merely a victory, but a mandate. If many voters gambled on him in 2016, they doubled down this time.
Flower Power
Once a modest sign of remembrance for the war dead, the poppy has increasingly been used as a prop for performative patriotism, and a tool that helps to gauge others' loyalty to an ideal of national sacrifice
When adult children cut the cord
Grownups who cut off contact with their family are often trying to break away after a traumatic childhood. But sometimes the estrangement can be totally unexpected for parents who really believe they've done their best
Battle lines Pyongyang's Russia entente is a dilemma for Xi Jinping
In October 1950, barely a year after the Chinese civil war ended, Mao Zedong sent the first Chinese soldiers to fight in the Korean war. Between 180,000 and 400,000 of Chairman Mao's troops would die in that conflict, including his own son. But it was important to defend North Korea then, Mao reportedly said, because \"without the lips, the teeth are cold\".
The hospital on the frontline of unstoppable gang warfare
It was mid-morning in central Port-au-Prince and already two shooting victims had been rushed into the hospital past a mural instructing visitors to leave machetes and rifles outside.
Small wonders Unravelling the paradoxes of plankton
Scientists are using technology to sequence the DNA of microscopic marine life for the first time-to help us learn more about ourselves
