The chemistry of kindness
In his book The Healing Power of Doing Good, nonprofit leader Allan Luks quoted survey respondents attempting to articulate the feelings they experienced when doing volunteer work. “It makes you explode with energy,” one said. Others described “a relaxation of muscles that I didn’t even realize had been tensed” and a “euphoric” feeling of being “zapped by an energy bolt.” Luks coined the term “helper’s high” to describe these feelings.
Among these neurotransmitters is dopamine. This feel-good chemical is linked to the brain’s reward center. And it’s released when we give to others. Scientists have actually witnessed this in the lab. A few years ago, a small study from an international research collaboration that included scientists from the National Institutes of Health used magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain activity associated with making a charitable donation. The findings, reported in PNAS, suggested that this action engages the mesolimbic system of the brain, triggering a euphoric rush of dopamine in much the same way that anticipating a reward, like money, does.
Numerous other processes may be implicated in the helper’s high, says Fricchione: pain-reducing endogenous opioids, endorphins, and perhaps even the neuromodulating chemicals that make up the endocannabinoid system. Then there’s oxytocin, the so-called affiliation hormone, which has plentiful receptors in the amygdala, where it helps suppress fear and anxiety.
Best known for its role in inducing contractions during childbirth and in mother-infant bonding, oxytocin is closely linked to empathy and altruistic behavior.
Oxytocin receptors are found throughout the cardiovascular system, including in the heart. The hormone can cause blood vessels to widen, encouraging blood flow and lowering blood pressure. And it’s been shown to counteract oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which can contribute to atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke — a hint of how the transient mood boost one gets from helping others may relate to longer-term health.
How two people treat each other in one part of the city may relate to how two other people treat each other in another part of the city,” says Christakis, who now directs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University. In other words, he says, “altruism is contagious.” The kindness of individuals cascades, ultimately creating a stronger group that is better equipped to survive.
Researchers found that those who volunteered for self-oriented reasons had a similar mortality risk to those who didn’t volunteer at all.
Molly McDonough is the associate editor of Harvard Medicine magazine.
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