Generous people: these 8 virtues take them far in life

March 28, 2024

Generous people are often described as the big losers in modern societies of the West, in which individualism prevails and the pursuit of pleasure for oneself.

This, which is based on a part of 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 is that, contrary to what we might think, pure selfishness also leaves certain blind spots for which problems and adversities can attack: the instability of relationships, the relative lack of support systems and a strong community that serves as protection, etc.

Then we will see some benefits that generous people are the first to enjoy .

1. They 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 how to be useful to others who need it could be behind this.

2. They can feel better with less

Unlike selfish people, who need to get material rewards in return for their effort to feel good, generous people are able to feel good by simply performing altruistic tasks , which can be done whenever they want because they depend on them. After being involved in these tasks, many of them feel physically more energized, with less pain and stress, and with a better self-image, which affects all areas of their lives.

3. Affection helps young people grow better

It has long been known that those caregivers who, in addition to providing children and adolescents With formal "obligatory" care such as food, water and a place to sleep, they are much more likely to surround themselves with offspring who can take care of them during old age. This is so because, with the creation of attachments, there is also the ability of young people to care for other people.

4. 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 costly projects that can only be carried out if several people agree and they 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.

5. 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, instead of sequentially: there are times when many people have benefited from the help of this type of profile without having given 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.

6. They are further away from depression in old age

People over 65 who practice volunteering to help others are less likely to develop depression, thanks to the social integration that these tasks produce. This is very useful, taking into account that self-concept and self-image may decrease in old age if retirement is interpreted as a sign that it is no longer useful for anyone.

7. You can concentrate more on positive thoughts

Generous people are more likely to help others selflessly, which isl it 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 to maintain good levels of well-being.

8. Propensity to greater longevity?

Even though still need to be done studies about the longevity of the 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.

Bibliographic references:

Musick, M. A. and Wilson, J. (2003). volunteering and depression: the role of psychological and social resources in different age groups. Social Science & Medicine, 56 (2), pp.259-269.

Post, S. G. (2005). Altruism, Happiness, and Health: It's Good to Be Good. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12 (2), pp. 66-77.

Schwartz, C., Meisenhelder, J. B., Ma, Y., & Reed, G. (2003). Altruistic social interest behaviors are associated with better mental health. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, pp. 778-785.