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The holiday season is a time of giving thanks, of gift giving – and for many people, a time of giving back.
Food banks, services that deliver food to seniors, and other US charities typically see an increase in volunteering between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. But there are good reasons to volunteer any time of year.
Alfred Del Grosso volunteers weekly to work the lunch shift at Shepherd’s Table, a food bank in Silver Spring. maryland“I feel more connected to the broader community,” he said,
Retired chemist most Thursdays kensingtonMaryland also lends an unpaid hand with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club to help remove fallen trees and bushes from local trails. “It’s mostly volunteers who help maintain the trails,” he said.
Researchers who study human evolution and social psychology say that giving back is deeply rooted in human nature. Volunteers say they feel a close connection to the communities they serve.
“When we feel grateful for all the things we have, it motivates us to do good things for other people who have helped us, and also to do good things for new people,” Sarah Schnittker, a psychologist, said. baylor university,
“There’s a nice upward reciprocal cycle between gratitude and generosity,” he said, which is often enhanced at holiday time.
For many people in America, the season of giving, receiving and volunteering runs from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah and from Christmas to New Year’s.
But around the world, gift-giving seasons or festivals exist in many cultures, said developmental psychologist Amrisha Vaish. University of Virginia,
“Almost all cultures have events or public celebrations that allow people to express gratitude,” he said. “In Hinduism, Diwali is a time of lights and celebration and good food, but it’s also a time when people give gifts to really express what people mean to them.”
For Muslims, Ramadan, which ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, is a time of reflection, gratitude, and acts of charity. Many Buddhist traditions also emphasize gratitude.
The general purpose of such seasons, Vaishya said, including non-religious acts of service, is to strengthen our natural cooperative tendencies.
“Throughout hundreds of thousands of years of human evolutionary history, we have had to be cooperative in order to work together and survive as a species,” he said.
“We don’t have sharp claws, fast movement, many other natural abilities. But what we do have is that we are super cooperative; we can do more in groups than alone.”
Of course, humans are not always cooperative and generous – sometimes we are even selfish and stubborn.
The tension between selfishness and altruism was also recognized by Darwin, said Michael Tomasello, a psychologist. Duke University“That’s why life is so complicated, We have all these purposes at once,”
But experts say reflecting gratefully on what we have and seeing others doing well can encourage our most generous instincts.
On a personal level, developmental psychologist Jayne Nelson of Brigham Young University said, “Charity, volunteerism, and generosity have the potential to increase our sense of meaning and purpose in our lives.”
“There’s an instant dopamine hit that’s sometimes called a ‘helper’s high.’ But there’s also a deeper reward in helping us establish purpose and meaning,” she said. “By helping other people and believing that small acts can change the world, you can bring harmony to your life.”
After Mia Thelen retired as a nurse in Owosso, Michigan, she began volunteering for the American Red Cross, starting by attending office phones during blood drives and gradually taking on more organizational and administrative responsibilities.
“It’s a good way to spend your time and make other people’s lives a little easier,” Thelen said. “I wanted to do something that would help the community.”
“And I’m learning a lot: learning computer skills, learning communication skills. I have great co-volunteers.” She likes to feel more connected with her neighbors.
Another common holiday tradition — sending greeting cards to family and old friends — also offers a chance to extend or renew social ties, which people are often surprisingly reluctant to do, said Lara Aknin, a social psychologist at Simon Fraser University.
His research has shown that “people are really hesitant to reach out to old friends, they worry about being a burden or an inconvenience,” he said. But on the other hand, “people who have just heard from old friends describe it as a really positive experience.”
So go ahead and write that card or make a phone call, she said. Use the holidays as an excuse to reconnect, and share a laugh or a warm drink.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.