Hi and welcome back to the show I'm Dr Ellen Hendrickson and third time

a charm so we'll say it one last time evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, zero judgment, and fantastic

listeners equals getting chosen for the iTunes Best of 2014

podcast list. So a big thank you to all of you for listening.

This week we'll take a look at giving through a psychological lens.

So aside from bringing tidings of comfort and joy to the recipient, giving benefits the giver

as well.

But altruism is tricky. We're more willing to help one person than many. That's why

aid organizations profile a specific child when asking for donations. We're more likely to give

when we have less. Wealth wealthy people give a smaller percentage of their income to charity,

and are more likely to cut back during hard times.

And even that long-held Darwinian notion of selfishness survival of the fittest is being

rethought. Turns out that fittest actually means nicest. Indeed, evolutionarily, those who play well with others are more likely to survive than those who go it alone.

So what are some of the other perks of being nice?

This week we'll look at three big benefits of giving.

Benefit number one, giving may actually make you live longer, but only if it's manageable.

So one theory is that giving to others build social connection, which in turn buffers us against stress, and thereby makes us healthier.

A 2013 meta-analysis or study of studies found that volunteering, reduced risk of dying in adults 55 and over by 24%

even when taking their health into account.

And another study from 2011 followed over 10,000 people for nearly 50 years and found that those

who volunteered over the last four years of the study had a lower risk of dine than non-volunteers, especially if they volunteered regularly and frequently.

However, it wasn't just the fact that they volunteered that protected them.

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