Doing Good is Good for You
Is it true that being kind can make you happier?
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Is it true that being kind can make you happier?
You know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get after you’ve given someone a thoughtful gift or assisted them with a difficult task? Those are endorphins, our bodies’ feel-good chemical. And it’s not a coincidence that they appear whenever we’re doing good for others. In fact, research suggests that when we spread kindness, we’re boosting our own mental health and well-being too. According to a study by the Journal of Happiness Studies, people who volunteered in the past year were more satisfied with their lives and rated their overall health better than those who didn’t volunteer.
The benefits of volunteering aren’t just seen or felt by the people or communities directly served. Here are some of the ways volunteering benefits our physical and mental well-being:
Maybe you’re not ready to commit to volunteering in public places with groups of people. Or maybe you’re just looking for other ways to volunteer. Fortunately, there are many ways to volunteer online, without having to leave your home. For example: You could volunteer for a crisis hot line, put together care packages for the military, send cards to children’s hospitals or donate to an animal shelter.
That’s OK! There are lots of other ways to be kind.
Give kindness. This could be picking up a prescription for an elderly neighbor, bringing a meal to a friend who isn’t feeling well or giving a stranger your seat on the bus.
Spread kindness. Try being kind to someone you disagree with. Or simply complimenting someone’s hair or shoes. Tell a friend or loved one how much they mean to you.
There are lots of ways to show strangers and loved ones kindness. And you never know how your kind gesture may impact their day or life.
We have tools that can help you take small steps on your journey to spreading kindness. Our meQuilibrium (meQ) digital mental well-being program is a great place to start. It offers articles, activities, videos and skill-building exercises to help you, including:
meQ is available at no extra cost to members of fully insured Florida Blue health plans.*
*meQuilibrium is an independent company contracted by Florida Blue and Florida Blue Medicare to provide health and wellness services and resources to members. This benefit is available to Florida Blue members age 18 and older. Eligibility is limited to members with an individual or family plan, an individual or family ACA plan and members with coverage from their fully insured group employer health plan.
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