Vim & Vigor - Summer 2010 - (Page 46)

You know sharing your time and money makes you feel good. But why? Here’s the science behind philanthropy E 46 Vim & Vigor • SUM M ER 2 010 llen Budish knows that it’s better to give than receive. For 30 years she has volunteered at local hospitals, homeless shelters and other hands-on organizations. She says she prefers projects that directly brighten the lives of those in need, like spearheading holiday gift donations for impoverished families through her school or gathering everyday items for residents of a local homeless shelter. One project that particularly inspired Budish was making activity bags for the emergency department staff at a local hospital to distribute to waiting children as a distraction. “I’m a parent myself and know what it’s like to rush to the hospital with nothing but my keys and my child,” she says. “It makes my heart ache to think of children suffering. When I do something to help, that ache goes away and I hope that others can have even a moment of joy like I’ve had in helping them.” But just what is it about doing good deeds that eases heartache and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside? ‘Helper’s HigH’ Scientists have dubbed the positive physical and emotional sensations that Budish and other philanthropists experience as “the helper’s high,” says Stephen Post, Ph.D., coauthor of Why Good Things Happen to Good People. “The helper’s high is real,” he says. “Researchers in many diverse fields have identified a physical biology of giving and positive emotions.” By Darcy LEwis Giving Is Great Medicine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2010

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2010
Contents
CEO Letter
For Your Health
Network of Care
Heart Testing 101
Ready ... Set ... Get Motivated!
Having Reservations?
Stressing Stress
Second Act
Adults at Play
In Good Hands
Think Again
No Kidding
Giving Is Great Medicine
Sunshine Savvy
Dear Dad
Six Degrees of Specialization
Well, Well, Well
Community Connections
Ask the Experts

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2010