It’s instilled in us from a very young age that it’s better to give than to receive; however, many of us deem this a cliché as we age. Despite this, there is actually a lot of truth behind the statement, as there are many health benefits that can be obtained from displaying generosity. Expressing generosity is an extremely important feature of many religions; for example, in Islam they give Zakat, whilst Christians will donate a few coins to the church on Sundays. If you’re not someone who believes in the religious rewards of giving, there are still multiple health benefits that you can reap from generosity, as listed below.
Increased Life Satisfaction
Isn’t everyone’s main goal in life to be happy? Well, you might be surprised to learn that generosity is a key ingredient of happiness. In fact, 74% of individuals that are considered generous claim to be satisfied with their lives, whereas 60% of those who aren’t considered generous maintain that they’re satisfied with their lives. Quite simply, highly generous individuals are more than twice as likely to be very satisfied with their life. This applies to all aspects of life from finances to relationships, meaning that generosity is truly the way forward.
Better Friendships
It goes without saying that displaying generosity can effectively improve your friendships with others. This is because generosity can help improve your social life, as you’re more willing to dedicate your time to others. Similarly, the more you’re willing to give to others, the more they’re happy to do in return. Those who are considered generous claim to have more friends that would do favors for them, including driving them to the airport, helping them move, and visiting them at the hospital. In fact, individuals that are regarded as generous have an average of 3.2 close friends, whereas those who aren’t considered generous have an average of 2.6 close friends.
Stronger Relationships
Additionally, people who are considered generous report that their connection with others runs much deeper. In fact, 66% felt as though they were very close to the people they know, whilst half of those who aren’t considered generous felt this same way.
Happier Careers
In this day and age, we all spend a significant amount of time at work, meaning that it’s vital that we feel happy in our professional lives. Without a happy career, you’ll simply feel unhappy for a solid eight hours of your day. No one wants this, but did you know that displaying generosity can help improve your job satisfaction? Out of those who are thought to be generous, 70% of them expressed job satisfaction, whilst only 49% of individuals who express low generosity had this same satisfaction.
Positive Outlook
Your outlook is probably the largest affecting factor of how you lead your life, as this will impact how you perceive scenarios and react to them. Quite simply, if you truly believe that your contribution to the world matters, your life will be much more enjoyable. Individuals that are considered generous deem life to be more valuable than those who are lacking in generosity.
Improved Mental and Physical Health
It probably goes without saying that the mental health of generous individuals has a better mental health than those who don’t display the same level of generosity when considering their more positive outlook. In fact, these generous people are less likely to experience anxiety, apathy, depression, and hopelessness. In turn, this affects physical health, meaning that good health and high levels of generosity are all interlinked.
Do you consider yourself to be a generous individual?
