HEALTH
Helping others makes you feel happier – it’s a win-win!
There were a heap of reasons why we decided to make this edition our feelgood issue – not least new research that shows that being kind to others leads to a small but significant improvement in your wellbeing. The study by Oxford and Bournemouth universities found the effect of helping others is equivalent to one point on a 0-10 happiness scale. Lead author Dr Oliver Scott Curry said, ‘People do derive satisfaction from helping others, probably because we genuinely care, and because random acts of kindness are a good way of making friends and kick-starting supportive social relationships. Performing those acts will not change your life, but might help nudge it in the right direction.’