By Patrick Driessen
"Life's too short not to show your love or appreciation to someone or something!" - Patrick Driessen
As I have noted in my long list of Life Lessons; giving your support to others will often help you succeed as it will increase your levels of happiness and success, plus it has a positive impact on your health.
These are some of my applicable 'giving yourself to others' Life Lessons:
As I have noted in my long list of Life Lessons; giving your support to others will often help you succeed as it will increase your levels of happiness and success, plus it has a positive impact on your health.
These are some of my applicable 'giving yourself to others' Life Lessons:
- #30. Make at least three people smile each day.
- #63. Share your thoughts, ideas, knowledge and experience with others, so they can benefit from it as well.
- #77. Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
- #81. Feed a stranger's expired parking meter.
- #84. It is amazingly rewarding and satisfying to help someone in their time of need. It helps them, and it also helps you!
- #85. The most powerful single thing you can do to influence others is to smile at them.
- #101. When you help others, they will help you in return. It comes in handy.
- #106. Do at least twenty hours of community work per year.
- #108. Never give up on anybody.
- #129. Give more, expect less from a personal perspective.
- #132. What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others lasts forever!
- #141. You can get everything in life you want, if you help enough other people get what they want.
So...forget chocolate, sex, fresh flowers and money... caring for others can bring just as much pleasure and benefit your health!
Finally some decent scientific research has proven that:
- Support-giving triggers reward-related regions of the brain!
- Helping others can boost happiness and reduce stress!
Caring for friends and family benefits the giver, not just the receiver, scientists say. Confirming the proverb "It is better to give than to receive." researchers at the University of California (UCLA) say that lending support to others is a pleasurable experience which can boost happiness and lower stress.
During trials they discovered that when patients were able to help loved ones they experienced positive emotions commonly associated with chocolate, sex and money.
During trials they discovered that when patients were able to help loved ones they experienced positive emotions commonly associated with chocolate, sex and money.
Lead researcher, UCLA Assistant Professor Naomi Eisenberger said: 'When people talk about the ways in which social support is good for our health, they typically assume that the benefits of social support come from the support we receive from others. But it now seems likely that some of the health benefits of social support actually come from the support we provide to others.'
During the study 20 young heterosexual couples in healthy relationships were observed. Each of the men were subjected to painful electric shocks while their girlfriends underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans which measured changes in blood flow related to neural activity in the brain.
At times, the women could provide support by holding the arm of their boyfriends, but on other occasions they were forced to watch as their partners received shocks. Findings revealed that when women were able to help their boyfriends reward-related regions of the brain were activated, including the ventral striatum and septal area. Under conditions in which no support was provided, these regions showed decreased activity.
Eisenberger said: 'One of these regions, the ventral striatum, is typically active in response to simple rewards like chocolate, sex and money. The fact that support-giving also activates this region suggests that support-giving may be processed by the brain as a very basic type of rewarding experience.'
The research findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, also suggest that offering support to others can help reduce stress. Scientists noted an interesting pattern of neural activity in the septal area, which in addition to being a pleasure center, plays a role in stress-reduction by inhibiting regions of the brain that process threats. Eisenberger said: 'This finding suggests that support-giving may have stress-reducing effects for the person who provides the support.' She also noted that support-giving could be a basic human instinct, aiding the 'survival of our species.'
During the study 20 young heterosexual couples in healthy relationships were observed. Each of the men were subjected to painful electric shocks while their girlfriends underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans which measured changes in blood flow related to neural activity in the brain.
At times, the women could provide support by holding the arm of their boyfriends, but on other occasions they were forced to watch as their partners received shocks. Findings revealed that when women were able to help their boyfriends reward-related regions of the brain were activated, including the ventral striatum and septal area. Under conditions in which no support was provided, these regions showed decreased activity.
Eisenberger said: 'One of these regions, the ventral striatum, is typically active in response to simple rewards like chocolate, sex and money. The fact that support-giving also activates this region suggests that support-giving may be processed by the brain as a very basic type of rewarding experience.'
The research findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, also suggest that offering support to others can help reduce stress. Scientists noted an interesting pattern of neural activity in the septal area, which in addition to being a pleasure center, plays a role in stress-reduction by inhibiting regions of the brain that process threats. Eisenberger said: 'This finding suggests that support-giving may have stress-reducing effects for the person who provides the support.' She also noted that support-giving could be a basic human instinct, aiding the 'survival of our species.'
Enjoy giving yourself, your knowledge, your experience, your love, your energy and your support to others!
Warm regards & success,
Patrick Driessen
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