Generous people are often described as the great disadvantaged in the modern societies of the West, in which individualism prevails and the pursuit of pleasure for oneself.
This, which is based on a part of the truth, is a distortion of reality, since being generous is also rewarded by a series of physical and psychological benefits.
The advantages of being generous
And, contrary to what we might think, pure selfishness also leaves certain blind spots that problems and adversities can attack: the instability of relationships, the relative lack of support systems and a strong community that serves as protection, etc.
Below we will see some benefits that generous people are the first to enjoy.
- Have better mental health
When the demands of having to take care of others are not very demanding in terms of time and effort, altruism is correlated with a greater propensity to enjoy good mental health. The psychological repercussions of knowing you are useful to others who need it could be behind this. - They can feel better with less
Unlike selfish people, who need to get material rewards in exchange for their effort to feel good, generous people are able to feel good just by performing altruistic tasks, which they can perform whenever they want because they only depend on them. After having been involved in these tasks, many of them feel physically more energetic, less pain and stress, and better self-image, which affects all areas of their lives. - Affection helps young people grow better
It has long been known that those caregivers who, in addition to providing children and adolescents with formal “mandatory” care such as food, water and a place to sleep, are much more likely to surround themselves with offspring that can take care of them. during old age. This is because, with the creation of attachment bonds, the ability of young people to care for other people also appears. - Create trust networks easily
The hormone oxytocin, which is related to generous and altruistic behaviors, is also associated with the creation of bridges of mutual trust, which can be very useful for developing ambitious and expensive projects that can only be carried out if several people agree and collaborate for a long period of time. This means that generous people will be somewhat more likely to devote their efforts to making projects whose long-term goals reach their goal. - They can become the most visible part of the community
Generous people are able to give selflessly for long periods whether or not there are prizes or rewards related to extrinsic motivation. This means that they are able to make others perceive them as generous at the same time, rather than sequentially: there are times when many people have benefited from the help of this type of profile without giving anything concrete in return. .
In this way, it often happens that the members of a community, seeing that everyone considers that there is someone especially generous, the public image of this person reaches a new level, which in many cases is related to a protective role and, therefore, of authority.
- They are further away from depression in old age- People over 65 who volunteer to help others are less likely to develop depression, thanks to the social integration that these tasks produce. This is very useful, considering that self-concept and self-image can decrease in old age if retirement is interpreted as a sign that it is no longer useful to anyone.
- They can concentrate more on positive thoughts- Generous people are more likely to help others selflessly, which creates a climate of positivity and a certain optimism. This makes them more exposed to situations in which attention shifts towards optimistic and cheerful ideas, which is useful for maintaining good levels of well-being.
- The propensity to greater longevity?- Although studies are still needed on the longevity of kind people, it has been seen that a tendency to concentrate on positive ideas and behaviors based on affection increases longevity and is associated with a strengthening of the immune system.