Volunteer activities help us live longer

Individuals who regularly participate in volunteering because they really want to help others are at lower risk of death than those who never participate in volunteering.

Livescience said, Sara Konrath, a University of Michigan researcher in the United States, and colleagues studied 10,317 people from 1957 to the present. In 2008 the average age of all subjects studied was 69. About half of 10,317 people were women.

In 2004, the study subjects were asked to list their frequency of volunteering during the previous 10 years. They must also explain the reasons for their participation in volunteering.

The data show that part of the researcher felt that volunteering was a way for them to help others and they did not think about their own interests when participating. Experts call this a group of altruistic people. On the contrary, some people just think of their own benefits, such as ' volunteering is a good way for me to get rid of the current problems' or 'volunteering to help me feel more confident. '.

The expert team compared the reasons of the study subjects to their physical health information since 1992. They also consider other factors, such as socio-economic position, mental health, and love. Marital status, smoking and drinking habits, body weight index.

The results show that the mortality rates of those who do not think of their own benefits are much lower than those who have never participated in volunteering. There are 2,384 people who have never participated in volunteering and 4.3% of them died between 2004 and 2008. Meanwhile, only 1.6% of people in the group have altruistic hearts. died at the same time.

However, the death rate of the group 'volunteering for self-interest' is 4% - nearly equal to the death rate of the group that never participated in volunteering.

'There is nothing wrong with people participating in volunteer work to find benefits for themselves. However, a dread is that individuals seeking benefits in volunteering never see them , 'said Andrea Fuhrel-Forbis, a member of the research team.