Donating to Charity Can Improve Your Mental Wellbeing

*Remunerated Post*

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” –  Albert Pike

Donating to charity is the quintessential part of the human psyche. The whitepaper titled, “The Science of Generosity,” notes that “generosity comes in many forms… charitable donations… formal volunteering… helping a stranger… [or] caring for a spouse or child.” 

This article states that people who give generously, give “good things to others freely and abundantly.”

Why do people give?

There are many reasons why people donate their time and money to charities like Yad Ezra V’Shulamit. However, the most important reason is that human beings are inherently generous.

There is no doubt that this statement is counterintuitive to centuries of conventional wisdom that states that humans are innately self-centered and selfish. As the whitepaper highlighted above states, the latest research shows that human nature is more complex and nuanced than what was understood. There is no doubt that people can be incredibly selfish and self-centered; research demonstrates that we have “currents of generosity running through us.”

How our generous traits grow or die

There is no doubt that human beings learn positive behaviors through the concept of positive reinforcement. BF Skinner’s operant conditioning model functions under the premise that “studying a behavior’s cause and its consequences is the best way to understand and regulate it.”

In other words, positive reinforcement encourages healthy behaviors and attitudes.

This concept is similar to the law of actions and its subsequent consequences of actions.

Let’s consider the following scenario by way of explaining this concept:

Neuroscientific research has demonstrated that as people, we are inherently generous. However, we also need to encourage our altruistic traits by donating to charity, helping others less fortunate than ourselves, helping strangers, volunteering our time and services, and caring for family members.

If we ignore our generous traits, we become like Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1843 work, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Succinctly stated, Scrooge is the protagonist in this fictional work and, at the beginning of the story, is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. As an aside, by the end of the story, Scrooge is transformed by the “ghosts of Christmas past” from a cruel miser into a friendly, generous man.

The fundamental need for altruism

Apart from the positive effects of your generosity on your mental health and well-being, being altruistic has a positive effect on the charities and philanthropic ventures that provide help for individuals without work.

While this point is valid in any stage of your life, it is especially relevant in the Post-COVID-19 era.

Why?

In summary, many aspects of the novel coronavirus pandemic are similar to living through a world war. The only difference between a world war and a viral pandemic is that armies of soldiers are not fighting it out for global dominance, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is raging through the world’s population. To date, circa 22.5 million people worldwide have been infected by the virus, with 791 299 deaths recorded.

The pandemic has also had a disastrous impact on the global economy. Most countries shut the economies down instantly, closed all non-essential businesses, and implemented a hard lockdown or stay-at-home order. In March 2020, the World Economic Forum estimated that the slowdown in the global economy caused by the coronavirus is likely to cost at least $1 trillion (USD). By June 2020, the Australian National University predicted that global economy could lose up to $21.8 trillion (USD).

Without going into further detail, there are billions of people across the globe have lost their only means of generating an income and need help to feed, clothe, and house their families.

The benefits of being generous: Improves your mental health and wellbeing

Based on the discussion about positive reinforcement and developing your generous traits highlighted above, the most critical advantage of encouraging your altruistic nature is that it improves your mental health and wellbeing.

When you help other people, your brain secretes the happiness or feel-good hormones which boost mood and improve your mental health. Here are a few ways that being altruistic fosters mental health:

Reduces loneliness

Being generous does not exclude volunteering for a charity, especially if you are alone. Giving of your time helps reduce the feeling of loneliness and isolation. Connecting with other people increases the endorphin secretions in your brain, fostering a sense of connection and belonging. 

Improves sense of gratitude

When you are less focused on yourself and your challenges, you become more aware of the world around you. This leads to a sense of gratitude for what you do have. And your problems will become much smaller than what they were before you started donating to a charitable cause. This will translate into an improved, happier mood because you are focusing on other people and not yourself.