Giving back

Giving back, whether financially, through your skills and expertise or time, has been shown to reap many health benefits.

1. It increases happiness and sense of purpose. Research by a UBC psychologist Elizabeth Dunn[1] shows that prosocial spending is correlated to happiness. Acts of altruism have been shown to activate the brain’s mesolimbic pathway and lead to an increase in chemicals like dopamine aiding in your sense of inner peace, and purpose.
2. It reduces mortality risk. Research shows[2] that giving back reduces mortality linked to stress, a known risk factor for many chronic diseases. The study found that stress did not predict mortality for participants who had helped others within the previous year, while it suggests an apparent link between stress and mortality in people who were not engaged in giving back or lending a hand, even after adjusting for age, health and other variables.
3. It reduces depression. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against depression.

Ways to give back

Support others in their health/mental literacy

• Share resources
• Share the strategies on mental/ health literacy that have worked for you
• Volunteer

Donate to causes that are near and dear to your heart

UBC specific initiatives:

• General site has a search function that allows you to find something that meets your passion: https://support.ubc.ca
• University President’s Pandemic Recovery Initiative: https://donate.support.ubc.ca/page/59369/donate/1
• UBC Student Wellbeing Fund – to support student wellbeing, addressing issues such as food insecurity, mental health, and general financial hardship.: https://support.ubc.ca/student-wellbeing
• UBC Bursary Fund – to support students with demonstrated financial need: https://support.ubc.ca/ubc-bursary
• United Way: Vancouver – Okanagan
• AMS Foodbank: supports food-insecure students at UBC

Shop wisely and support small local business and brands that give back

References:

[1] Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2014). Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(1), 41-47.

[2] Poulin, M. J., Brown, S. L., Dillard, A. J., & Smith, D. M. (2013). Giving to others and the association between stress and mortality. American journal of public health, 103(9), 1649–1655. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300876

https://acac.com/news/the-mental-health-benefits-of-giving-back/