It is better to give than to receive. We are all familiar with that saying. Perhaps the first time you heard it was from your parents, possibly when they were trying to coax you into doing something “nice”— like sharing your toys or donating the pennies in your piggy bank.
But no surprise, mom and dad were right all along. There is growing scientific evidence that proves it is in fact better to give than to receive — especially for your health.
A 2020 study published by the Psychological Bulletin analyzed the results of over 200 previous studies to find a “significant association between prosocial behavior and well-being,” Psych News Daily reports. These “prosocial behaviors” include altruism, cooperation, trust, compassion, kindness, and giving.
The analysis found that giving back can positively impact mental and physical well-being at every life stage.
- Younger givers reported higher levels of overall well-being, psychological functioning, and “eudaimonic well-being”—having greater meaning in life.
- Retirees who are regular givers reported better physical health, with the retired reporting more well-being benefits overall compared to those who are still working.
- Senior givers reported higher levels of physical health, with one study finding that “formal helping” correlated with an improved effect on the elderly’s rates of depression.
This “formal helping” includes regular charitable donations, volunteering, and/or membership in voluntary associations.
Being a giver can help you feel better, live healthier, and save lives!
Save a Life, Change Your Life
As a donor to ForHearts Worldwide, your “formal helping” makes you a part of something greater: our mission to provide life-saving care ForHearts in need.
You become a member of a global community that not only includes fellow donors, but also the ForHearts staff, Board of Directors, Heart Center doctors, nurses, in-country volunteers, device manufacturers, and corporate sponsors. Together, we are positively impacting health and well-being around the world.
Your giving is what makes our work possible. Just $585 enables ForHearts Worldwide to provide a life-saving pacemaker implantation procedure. For patients in developing countries, it is a surgery that is often out of reach, costing upwards of $50,000 – $60,000 on average.
Our donors are funding the needed devices and doctors to put this life-saving care within reach for so many. Since 1984, we’ve been able to save over 17,000 lives, thanks to the generosity of donors just like you!
Is there anything that can bring greater meaning in life than knowing you are responsible for saving the life of a fellow human being? For many of our donors, being a part of something bigger than themselves and answering the call to help their fellow man are exactly why they give.
“Having traveled extensively in my career, I think we have to think like global citizens, not just locally,” emphasizes Stan Tipton, a ForHearts partner for over 15 years. “Some countries are not as well off as the US—many countries, I would say—and so they are all people; they all should have the best life possible.”
“It is probably the most unselfish thing you can do,” says the late George Lorton, longtime donor and supporter and himself a pacemaker recipient. “It is not going to be a reward to you other than you feel good about other people having a better life because of you. Making that commitment to make their life better makes your life better.”
Will you make that commitment to make a difference? See how you can support our life-saving mission through our donation opportunities.