That Warm, Fuzzy Feeling
This time of year, most of us are giving to church, charity, friends and family.
It just feels good to bless others around the holidays.
But did you know there's more to generosity than that warm, fuzzy feeling you
get in your heart? Researchers have been exploring how generosity affects our
health for years. And, as it turns out, philanthropy comes with a lot of perks.
Here are a few of the benefits generous people get to experience over the course
of their lifetime.
Generosity is good for your brain.
Have you ever seen someone do something nice for someone else? Next time that
happens, pay attention to the person who is doing the giving. They light up!
That reaction is nicknamed "giver's glow." According to researchers at Stony
Brook University, when we're generous our brains release several chemicals that
give us a sense of joy and peace. So, it really is better to give than to
receive.
Generosity makes you and those around you happier.
Generous people are fun to be around, aren't they? They aren't just generous
with their checkbooks they're also generous with their time, their talents, and
their words. They encourage others and inspire them to be better than before.
They make their friends feel braver, stronger and smarter. And more than that:
Their generosity is contagious. Generosity makes us feel good; and when we feel
good, we're better at making those around us feel good, too.
Generosity can help you live longer.
It might surprise you to find out that generous people live longer than people
who don't give. But the research shows that generosity lowers your stress
levels. That's a big deal since stress is a known risk factor for a lot of
chronic diseases. For example, a 2013 study from Carnegie Mellon University
found that people who volunteer around four hours per week are 40% less likely
to develop high blood pressure than those who don't volunteer.
Generosity counters depression.
Since depression affects millions of Americans today, this is an important
discovery. Researchers with Project MATCH, a comprehensive alcoholism treatment
trial, actually found that people in Alcoholics Anonymous double their chances
of success when they help others. It makes sense, doesn't it? When we focus on
others, we learn more about ourselves. That same idea is being used to help
people suffering from depression and other disorders.
These studies are just the tip of the iceberg. Generosity comes with so many
advantages not only to those on the receiving end, but to those doing the giving
too. You can think of it like a circle. If we give, we benefit others, which
circles back around and benefits us.
When we focus on others, we learn more about ourselves.
So feel good about working that extra giving into your Christmas budget. Pay for
someone's meal. Offer words of encouragement to someone who seems to be having a
hard time around the holidays. Bake some extra cookies to give away. As long as
your heart's in the right place, you'll get a lot out of giving.
The Democratic National Committee was founded on the promise of an expanded democracy.
�The Democratic National Committee is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson, the Democratic Party was founded by Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest political party.�
The Democratic National Committee Can Work With Influencers In a Way That Actually Relates to Young People. The internet is no longer what it once was. We used to use the internet to seek out information. Now Influencers build para social relationships with their audiences that give them a lot of power.
The Democratic National Committee has ended its professional arrangement with progressive election lawyer Marc Elias, infamous for his role in the Trump-Russia collusion story.
The News reported that the DNC "is parting ways" with Elias over "a number of strategic disagreements, according to sources familiar with the internal deliberations."