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From improving our health and happiness to promoting a sense of belonging, boosting mood and making friends, the case for volunteering keeps building. Here are some surprising reasons why volunteering doesn鈥檛 just benefit other people, it will improve your own wellbeing too.

1. Open the door to life satisfaction

鈥淪atisfaction with life is at least partially dependent on living a life with purpose and meaning,鈥� says alumnus Dr. Tim Sharp (PhD(Medicine) 鈥�98) who is affectionately referred to as 鈥楧r. Happy鈥�. 鈥淰olunteering provides both these things in spades.

鈥淲e feel good about ourselves when we鈥檙e doing good to and for others.鈥�

Dr Sharp is backed up by the OECD Better Life Index, which says volunteers tend to be more satisfied with their lives because they鈥檙e interacting with other people, setting and achieving goals, and learning new things.

2. You鈥檒l feel happier

People who 鈥済ive鈥� 鈥� either money or their time 鈥� have been reported to be happier and healthier than those who don鈥檛.听A 2007 study led by Arthur Brooks of Syracuse University found that givers were 42 percent more likely than non-givers to say they were 鈥渧ery happy鈥�.

Dr. Rebecca Pinkus, Lecturer in Psychological Statistics adds, 鈥淰olunteering keeps you in a positive mood and can help lift you out of a negative mood.鈥�

3. It鈥檒l make you feel healthier

Helping others is also related to improved physical health, including weight control, lower blood pressure and relief from depression and chronic pain.

Brooks鈥� study also found that givers were 25 percent more likely to say they were 鈥渋n excellent health.鈥�

Dr Sharp explains this result: 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e helping others we鈥檙e more likely to feel good about ourselves which is, not surprisingly, a positive contributor to mental health. Mental and physical health are highly correlated so when we鈥檙e psychologically well, we鈥檙e also more likely to be physically well,鈥� he says.

4. You鈥檒l get a 鈥榟elpers high鈥�

Helping others triggers the reward pathway in the brain known as the mesolimbic system. It releases 鈥渇eel-good鈥� neurotransmitters such as oxytocin and vasopressin.

The buzz you get from these neurotransmitters is sometimes known as 鈥渢he helpers high鈥�.

听(BA 鈥�08 BA(Hons) 鈥�10 PhD 鈥�14) received the University鈥檚 2015听听and is an expert on the effects of brain chemicals. 鈥淓mpathy has been shown to elevate oxytocin levels in blood plasma,鈥� he says. 鈥淲ith higher levels of empathy and oxytocin being associated with increased generosity.

听鈥淚nterestingly, other studies have reported that administering oxytocin in a nasal spray increases generosity compared to a placebo nasal spray,鈥� he says.
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"So, it might actually be the case that oxytocin helps to听promote听generosity, in at least some scenarios."

This creates a 鈥渇eel-good鈥� cycle: oxytocin makes you more likely to be generous, being generous produces more oxytocin, which makes you more likely to continue being generous.

5. Feel a sense of belonging

Volunteering is a great way to promote strong social networks. This is because of what鈥檚 called 鈥減rosocial behavior鈥�, which means that what we鈥檙e doing benefits other people 鈥� this can be seen in helping, sharing, donating and volunteering.

听says that volunteers (81.8%) were more likely than non-volunteers (55.2%) to have attended a community event recently, and people who volunteered through an organisation (64%) were more likely to provide informal assistance to someone outside their own household than non-volunteers (41%).

As a prolific University volunteer, Pauline Plumb (BVArts '04 MSA(Hons) '04) has experienced this first hand, "Volunteering is an adventure. Meeting people from different walks of life and different ways of life brings together unexpected experiences. It gave me a sense of purpose to give back to the University community that I value so much.鈥�

6. You can catch feel-good emotions

Ever heard of something called the 鈥榚motional contagion鈥�? We hadn鈥檛 either. But as the name suggests, it鈥檚 contagious. When two people catch it, they tend to 鈥渕atch-up鈥� emotionally. If a person is feeling positive and enjoying the process of giving, then this spreads across to other people nearby who become significantly more likely to give as well.

7. Embrace your passions

There鈥檚 a bit of a catch-22 when it comes to volunteering 鈥� we can鈥檛 just volunteer in order to get the benefits. It鈥檚 a lot like how you can鈥檛 just demand that you鈥檒l be happy on the spot.

To get the full benefits of volunteering, the trick is to get involved in something you鈥檙e passionate about. This is exactly what former President of the University鈥檚 Alumni Council, Peter Shaw (BSc 鈥�89 LLB(Hons) 鈥�91 MBA(Exec) 鈥�05) did when he took on the voluntary role.

"There is something about giving to others that adds enjoyment to life. Finding the organisation or cause which engages your heart and mind, and contributing to it in ways that are meaningful to you and valuable to others, is a great gift to uncover," says Mr. Shaw.
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So go, get out there and find something you鈥檙e passionate about, and feel better knowing you鈥檝e helped others.

Reap the rewards, get involved

Alumni volunteering opportunities

There are plenty of at the University to explore, from helping at graduations and welcoming our newest international students, to mentoring fellow alumni and assisting in philanthropy activities.

Student volunteering opportunities

The University Careers Centre is a great place to start when seeking volunteer work. Check out the for key information on finding volunteer opportunities, plus access volunteer roles via the .