Source Newsroom: American Psychological Association (APA)
Reduced mortality risk not seen in people motivated by self-
centered reasons Newswise — WASHINGTON – People who volunteer
may live longer than those who don’t, as long as their reasons
for volunteering are to help others rather than themselves,
suggests new research published by the American Psychological
Association. This was the first time research has shown
volunteers’ motives can have a significant impact on life span.
Volunteers lived longer than people who didn’t volunteer if they
reported altruistic values or a desire for social connections as
the main reasons for wanting to volunteer, according to the
study, published online in the APA journal Health Psychology.
People who said they volunteered for their own personal
satisfaction had the same mortality rate four years later as
people who did not volunteer at all, according to the study.
“This could mean that people who volunteer with other people as
their main motivation may be buffered from po