Want to Get Rich and Enjoy Better Health? New Research Suggests: Start Volunteering

Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium analyzed data on volunteering, employment, and health from 40,000 EU citizens. Their findings, published over the weekend, indicate that volunteering is linked to better health and employment.

According to the research findings, even after accounting for factors such as age, gender, education level, and religion, people who regularly volunteer significantly enjoy better health. To illustrate, the researchers say, the average volunteer is as healthy as someone five years younger who does not volunteer.

If that is not enough for you, it appears that volunteers also, on average, enjoy higher income than those who do not volunteer. The researchers explain it this way: "This finding aligns with previous studies showing that volunteer activities listed in resumes enhance employment opportunities, particularly for those who are not native to the area."

While the impact on income can be understood as volunteering effectively counting as additional work experience, which increases job opportunities for volunteers, how do we explain the impact on health? The researchers propose three theories.

"The first possibility is that volunteering improves psychological resources like self-esteem and social resources such as social integration and access to support and information—two types of resources known to benefit health," says Professor Sarah Willems, one of the researchers. "Secondly, volunteering increases total physical and cognitive activity, which protects against functional decline and dementia in older age. Lastly, neuroscience research links volunteering to the release of hormones such as oxytocin and progesterone, which have the ability to regulate stress and inflammation in the body."