Raising Philanthropic Children
It’s Better to Give Than Receive
FACTOIDS
Quitting smoking or joining a club, it's a tough call, which would improve your life expectancy more. Joining one group cuts your odds of dying over the next year in half. Joining two groups cuts it by three-quarters. Factoids on Health and Altruism/Social Capital from the Saquaro Seminar |
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University of Michigan Study
"Among a group of 423 elderly couples followed for five years, the people who reported helping others—even if it was just giving emotional support to a spouse—were about half as likely to die as those who did not." Quoted from "Science Says It's Better
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"In a study of more than 2,000 Presbyterians published this fall in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, behavioral scientist Carolyn Schwartz and colleagues reported improved mental health seemed to be more closely linked to giving help than to receiving it." Quoted from “Science Says It's Better
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Emory University Study
Excerpted from "The Biology of Benevolence: Humans
General Theory of Love "Humans, moreover, seek social bonds. When in the company of family members, lovers, and friends, our limbic brains resonate with theirs. This communication stabilizes individuals, improving both emotional well being and health. For this reason, humans with partners—or even with other mammalian companions like a dog or cat—outlive humans who are alone. "Why are citizens so disengaged today?...In part, this is the price of a highly mobile society. Lewis, Amini, and Lannon note that, although our cognitive skills permit us to jet around the world, leave our families, and change neighborhoods every few years, our limbic brains are not so adept. Nor can the neocortex simply reason with limbic desires. We crave stability and attachment. Our society seems fragmented because it is. "Humans...are deeply social creatures. If we want civic communities, we need to spend time together." Not only individuals, but also communities require deeper connections. These community connections also have health benefits. While recent research is indicating that humans are hard-wired to be altruistic, and our health is tied to our giving behaviors and communities, there is no formal structure for teaching children these facts about giving. A review of General Theory of Love, written by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini
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"Researchers at Emory University scanned the brains of 36 women as they played Prisoner's Dilemma [a game pitting two subjects against each other, awarding individuals who chose to defect (more money) or cooperate (less money)]. Subjects reported feelings of trust and camaraderie toward their partners—emotions key to sustaining cooperation. And after cooperating in one round, participants were less likely to defect." 