volunteer

Happiness for Cynics Podcast

This week’s episode is all about the benefits of volunteering. From living a longer and healthier life to having deeper friendships, there really is nothing volunteering can’t do to make your life better and happier!

M: You’re listening to the podcast happiness for cynics. I’m Marie Skelton, a writer and speaker focused on change and resilience.

P: And I am Peter Furness, a recycler, a composter and a reactionary environmentalist. Each week we will bring to you the latest news and research in the world of positive psychology, otherwise known as happiness.

M: Thanks, Pete. You can find us at marieskelton.com, which is a site about how to find balance, happiness and resilience in your life. We talk about a lot of the same research recover here on the podcast, including some really practical tips for bringing joy and happiness into your life.

P: So on to today’s episode, which is all about volunteering.

Happy intro Music] 

M: Okay, so we’re talking about volunteering today. A big one, a really good one. Why should we volunteer Pete? 

P: So much good things come from volunteering, things that you might not think about it initially. But essentially, we know that volunteering works well for bringing about meaningful, purposeful lives and also for bringing out feel good things like oxytocin and progesterone.  

M: Isn’t progesterone one of the female chemicals?  

P: No that’s Oestrogen.  

M: Ok, alright… 

P: It’s in there though, I’m not exactly sure of the ratio but hey we could all do with some female stuff. 

M: Volunteering doesn’t make you more feminine? 

P: [Laugh] It makes you wussy. 

[Laughter] 

M: We take that back. [More laughter] 

P: No, no, no. The good benefits of volunteering are numerous and magnanimous.  

M: Sure and it’s also, so we are definitely going to focus in on volunteering today, but it does cross over into so many of the other areas, like so many things we talk about that we’ve discussed in the past. So it helps you to find purpose in your life. It often can help you be more social, depending on the activity you pick. It also helps you to be more generous and practise kindness and all of those things in their own right without the volunteering component are proven to have positive benefits for your life.  

P: I think that volunteering as well deserves its own episode because it’s a practical thing that we can do. It’s one of the techniques that we can actually do that leads to happiness. So whilst you’re not consciously going ‘I’m going to have a meaningful purpose in my life.’ You are just going down and helping out at the cake store, so it’s something that we could just do again. Like the self-care is church from non-believers episode. That was a great example of something really practical that we can do that gives us the benefits and leads to happiness without us really even trying. 

M: For me I think the real benefit out of this one is in helping to combat the loneliness epidemic.  

P: Yes. Very good. 

M: This is a topic that’s been around the last couple of years, and there’s been a lot of discussion over many years about the loneliness levels of our elderly populations. But more recently, we’ve been discussing how lonely our millennials are. 

P: Yes, we have talked about that. 

M: Yeah, yeah, and I think that this gives you something to do, especially if you’re an introvert and not so comfortable with rocking up to networking events to meet people, it gives you something to do, and you meet people secondarily and conform really close bonds. While the focus isn’t in that awkward trying to meet someone. 

P: It’s not speed dating people, that’s not volunteering.  

[Laughter] 

M: No [laugh]. So you can go in and volunteer, and that’s why you’re there, and it gives you a reason for being and in the meantime, you forge strong relationships depending on the activity, and I think that’s another benefit that we don’t necessarily need to deep dive into, but another reason why you might choose volunteering over some other self-care or positive psychology activities.  

P: It’s funny because I think when you approach people for that; I’ve been on that side of the equation where I’m trying to get people to volunteer and often the responses that come back are ‘oh no, I haven’t got time. I’ve got such a hectic lifestyle. I couldn’t possibly commit to that sort of stuff.’ 

M: Mm-hmm 

P: This is going to be the episode for you because it’s going to show you exactly the huge amounts of benefits that will come out of this that might surprise you and actually have some selfish, selfish additions in there as well. You can be selfish and volunteer. Sure, so I was having a look and on Psychology Today, which is a really accessible site, and I encourage you to have a look at some of their articles as well. It’s not psych babble. It is, as I said, really accessible. So Dr. Dawn Carr published an article on ‘Five Reasons Why You Should Volunteer’.  

1. Volunteers live longer and healthier.

2. They establish strong relationships, as we said before

3. It’s good for your career.

P: Ah, there’s that selfish reason.

[Laughter]

M: Well so far, they’re all pretty selfish. He’s the nice one, the warm and fuzzy one.

4. It’s good for society.

P: It benefits everyone.

M: Yeah, and then the last one, number 5 is:

5. It gives you a sense of purpose.

And again, we’ve shown how that can also directly lead to increased happiness levels.

P: Yeah, definitely. 

M: So there are studies, so many studies that show all of all of this stuff and you’ve been looking at a few studies as well haven’t you Pete?  

P: I have yeah. A couple, Professor Stijn Baert, I think I pronounced that correctly, talks a lot about how research shows that volunteering can increase employment. It can increase your employment opportunities and increase your skill base, which is one of those lovely selfish reasons. The idea of paying it forward, which has actually come about in the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in 1995.  

M: And they’ve got a website. Just look up Random Acts of Kindness, they’ve got so many great tools there but we’re going to cover that another time actually.  

P: Definitely. There was also a study in 2018 on a Spanish company where they had a control group that was a generosity group. They were giving out acts of kindness within the workplace, and what they found was that people were even happier and more content than those who actually received the acts of kindness. So by people giving out those acts of kindness by being generous and volunteering their time and so forth they get, they got more benefits than just receiving it.  

M: I wonder if that also translates to giving gifts. Because I know at times I look really closely at the person’s face when I give a gift.  

P: [Laugh]  

M: Because I’m a horrible gift giver and I can’t help it. I’m so bad.  

P: [Laugh] Do you really like it? Do you really like it? Do you really? 

M: Oh, and I’ve just got this complex now, I can’t get over it. 

P: Do you keep every receipt and like hold onto it for a year?   

M: Yeah and I shove receipts in people’s hands and go, please, please exchange if you don’t like it? Please don’t, don’t feel bad. I want you to. Go exchange it, I know you hate it.  

P: [Laugh] 

M: You know, I’ll talk myself into a frenzy. But I wonder. Gift giving comes with so much anxiety for me.  

P: There’s your introverted nature.  

M: I just want them to like it.  

P: Yeah, I know. But the benefit does come about and even if it doesn’t work for them, they can always pass it on to somebody else. 

M: All right. And then there’s a few other studies that I was looking at as well that are quite interesting I thought. There’s one in the Journal of Happiness Studies that says that acts of charity or volunteer work can make you feel better and happier, which we just have mentioned. But this study goes even further, and it shows that even simply wishing someone well can have a positive effect on your mood. And in fact, even witnessing someone else performing an act of kindness produces oxytocin so it aids in lowering your blood pressure, improves self-esteem, optimism and overall heart health. So even if you just surround yourself with people who are doing good.  

P: You don’t even have to do it yourself. You can just be a quiet observer. ‘I’m just here for the tea and bickies.’ 

[Laughter] 

M: I love it. So there’s another one that I really love. There are two more and I’m going to share them because these are just great little studies. So there’s one from Harvard. I know the one that you’re wanting to talk about Pete. We’ll get to that one in a second. There’s one from Harvard that says that volunteering at least once a week yields improvements to wellbeing equivalent to doubling your annual salary.  

P: And who doesn’t want a double salary? 

M: I think I’ll take the money thanks.  

P: [Laugh] Pay off that mortgage.  

M: Yep, they say money can’t buy happiness, but I’m sure I’d make a go of it.  

P: [Laugh] It’s a good relative indicator, isn’t it? Would you like to go and volunteer? Or would you like double your salary?  

M: Yep, no one’s giving you double your salary, so you may as well go volunteer. 

P: There you go.  

[Laughter] 

M: And then the last study that, Pete is jumping at the bit – 

P: volunteering gives you more sex!  

[Laughter] 

M: I think you’re leaping. 

P: Yes, is this where we share our personal stories? 

M: Yeah, um I edit the podcast Pete so… 

P: Damnit.  

M: It is a very big leap to say that volunteering makes you get more sex – 

P: But come on the science says so. 

M: Well, kind of, kind of. For those who are the cynics and you actually care about the detail of the studies. So being altruistic makes you sexier to the opposite sex.  

P: [sexy cat purr] 

M: And in a study that was published by the British Journal of Psychology, they gave people $100 in cash and asked them what they would do with the money and those who are willing to donate the money. So those who would naturally or genuinely more altruistic also reported having more lifetime and or casual sex partners over the previous years. 

P: Bada bing bada boom! 

[Laughter]  

M: So, I am going to say that it doesn’t talk about cause and effect here, but 

P: we’re running with it [laugh]. 

M: What they’re saying here is altruists get more sex.  

P: There we go, I can see why it’s an attractive quality it makes, it makes someone be attracted to you because they can see a noble quality that makes you go ‘oh they’re going to be generous. They’re gonna be generous in the relationship, they’re going to be generous in their life.’ 

M: Well, particularly from a female point of view, it is something that you would want your husband particularly if you have very limited choice about who you’re marrying. It’s a trait you would be looking for, depending on the country you’re from or the century you’re in. I would imagine that altruism and generosity would be positive traits that you’d be very grateful for having and then, secondly, it also would reflect well on the type of person you want to raise your Children.  

P: This is an interesting point because this is one of the points that I came up with is that volunteering as a family is a thing.  

M: Yes  

P: It sets good examples. It shows Children, you involved in acts of generosity, which they then emulate, especially if they’re involved in volunteering at a young age. So if you’re going along to the weekly cake store, take your three year old with you because they’ll go along. They’ll see you having a fun time. And I’ll make that Connection without even really thinking about it in their conscious thought of ‘Oh yeah if I give this then that’s going to create a good connection with these other people.’  

M: Yep, I think one of the easy ones to do is soup kitchens with kids. 

P: Hhmm well you told, there’s a point that you talked about in terms of one of the greatest acts of volunteering is food. 

M: Aarghh, That’s my quick fact.  

P: Oh sorry, I – 

M: – jumped ahead. So just a quick fact for all of you out there who didn’t hear what Pete just said. Most volunteer activity involves the collection and distribution of food. 

P: I like it. I mean, I give cakes to my personal trainer.  

M: My, what’s the word I’m looking for? a person who helps with my rehab at the hospital.  

P: Physio. 

M: Physio [Laugh]. They’ve got the physio that’s attached to the hospital, so there’s a bunch of them that all work in the same clinic, and unfortunately they get a lot of people out of the Osteo[porosis] ward. So, Grandmas and grandpas who have torn ligaments in their shoulders or you know as you get older things wear and tear a bit more, and they’re always being given cakes and baked goods. Always the poor things.  

[Laughter] 

M: They’re like ‘We are going to be so fat by the time we’ve finished this career.’  

P: [Laugh] that’s the whole point making my PT just a little bit chubbier, you know so I can feel good about myself. [Laughter] If you’re watching [listening] that’s not really the reason.  

M: It’s selfish that one.  

P: I like this. I like the idea of being volunteering as selfish. I mean, I’m going to throw some more at you.  It lessens the symptoms of chronic pain.  

M: Yes, so much of this stuff does it’s the oxytocin. 

P: It’s the neurotransmitters. It’s all those happy drugs that go into, you flood your body with when you’re involved in acts of kindness and volunteering. So that’s another good one. The Increase in your job skills, which leads to a higher income. Now, I really liked this one. This again comes back to the study that was done by a number of American psychologists in the American Psychological Association Journal, and they said that having volunteering on your CV is attractive to people who might employ you.

And also it is associated with being in a position to be able to be a volunteer because you are on a higher income. But they actually did a study that negated those influences and found that people who do volunteer end up being offered higher incomes within their organisation.  

M: Maybe I should, um, mention ‘Hey, boss if you’re listening?’  

P: [Laugh] well I think that’s essentially, it is attractive to people and they will see that sense of altruism is being a characteristic they want to promote within their business.  

M: You can also get such different and varied experience. So I was on the board of New South Wales volleyball, and that was a very different level of conversation. Well I was in my early thirties then. I worked for a really large corporate, so it wasn’t in that same board level type of discussion at the corporate. But it has definitely rounded out my experience and understanding and helped me in my career.  

P: Hugely, I had the same reference of volunteering on a sports committee and learning skills of how to do Excel spreadsheets. Now, you don’t think that that’s going to be something you pick up but I became a spreadsheet demon!  

M: Yep, I have too. 

P: And that’s all through volunteering and learning how to run a meeting, learning how to show leadership when it’s necessary, all those sorts of interactions and also learning how to interact with people. We had a very interesting ethnic mix and it took me a while to be able to deal with each individual ethnicity and approach it in a certain way that was beneficial for everybody. So it does, it really does give you tangible skills that you can use and that was my big platform when I was trying to get people to volunteer for that board, I was like guys you have no idea, this is going to be good for your job. 

M: Even just running an event, having ownership of running an event. 

P: Event management. It is not easy people. [Laugh] 

M: No. A place in heaven for people who run events and call centres, I have to say those poor, poor people. All right, so let’s maybe move on to some ideas or things that we can do to bring volunteering into our lives. Do you have any Pete?  

P: …  

M: Alright I’ll go. So the easiest one is that there are always organisations, mostly charities who are looking for volunteers.  

With the organisations that look for soft skills that can complement your career, you do generally need to be willing to invest a bit more time. It’s really a huge tax on a lot of these small, low funded organisations to constantly be training new people who only want to pop in three hours. So they are looking for a longer term commitment a lot of the time. But if you’re not willing to put a time in every week or every month, you can do things like donating blood.  

P: I like that one. 

M: Which is something could only do every few months. It’s a really easy thing to do, if you can, and mentoring someone so you don’t necessarily have to meet with your mentee more than once every three months. And there’s so many great benefits that come back to you. And it goes both ways, really, the mentor mentee relationship. As we’ve established.  

P: Yeah  

M: Yep and then the last one is just get involved in a Charity Day at your work. If you’ve got an organisation or a big enough workplace, there’s things like Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea, which we did yesterday in my office and that was for Cancer raising money for Cancer research, and then you could join in a fundraising walk or cycle or grow a mo for Movember. 

P: He he 

M: So there’s lots of these days, and particularly in larger corporations there’s a way to just jump in and join one of these things. But the benefits are not only to these charities or organisations that you’re supporting. They come back to you. 

P: Yeah, hugely. On a more individual level to look at what you’re doing. Look at the activities that you’re involved with and look at if those organisations need a hand. So for both of us, volleyball was a big one. I jumped into the volleyball committee with eyes completely shut and not knowing what I was getting into and 10 years later they had to force me out because I had been there for too long.   

M: You were ready to go. 

P: That was, when I first did it, I was like ‘Oh I should give something back to the club that has given me so much’ and that was the initial idea behind it. It was so beneficial in so many different ways. And I, it really did open up so much opportunity for me and it became a 10 year commitment. So it turned into something that was quite a lot.  

M: So you hated it the whole time, didn’t you? 

P: Well yeah, I got a nickname out of it, so that was good.  

M: What was the nickname? 

P: Madam President.  

M: Ah. 

P: [Laugh], there has only ever been one. Now it’s Mr President.  

M: Yeah OK, fair enough.  

[Laughter] 

M: All right, well, I think we’re done talking about volunteering for this week.  

P: We are. Get out there, people. It’s so much better for you, and it really does come back to you tenfold. They do say that volunteers look five years younger.  

M: I like that. The other thing to mention, to circle all the way back to the beginning is you mentioned that a lot of people say ‘I just don’t have time to volunteer’.

Now I would really be challenging that and asking, what do you prioritise over your own life and health and bonds with your family potentially or friends?  

P: It can be such a social thing.  

M: That means you don’t have time for those things that I just mentioned, because that’s ultimately what we’re talking about here.  

P: True, we’re preaching to the converted on each other here so. 

M: Yep 

P: Find something people, get out there and have a look and connect with something that connects with you, no matter how small you’ll get the benefits.  

M: All right, see you next week.  

P: Stay happy. 

[Happy Exit Music] 

Related content: read Moving On article What You Didn’t Know About Practicing Kindness

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