Vascular Health Sciences Chief Science Officer: Following the 'Golden Rule' Leads to Happiness and Satisfaction - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

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SOURCE: Vascular Health Sciences

Nathalie Chevreau considers a recent study that suggests people find happiness by performing acts of kindness towards others.

Salt Lake City, Utah (PRWEB) February 09, 2013

Preliminary results of a study about human happiness from the University of California, Riverside, indicate that doing good deeds for others leads to enhanced feelings of happiness and well-being. Vascular Health Sciences Chief Science Officer Nathalie Chevreau, PhD, R.D. urges people to incorporate good deeds into their weekly schedules.

“In our culture of increased personal isolation, reaching out to others and decreasing our interpersonal distances can help us find a new sense of purpose,” said Chevreau. “We should all get out there and commit a random act of kindness this week.”

The study implies that people may be able to reach their potential for happiness by engaging in pro-social behaviors that help others. Varying the types of positive behaviors and performing them once a week provide the most benefit in making people feel good. Doing more of the same acts repeatedly did not show any extra gains as people grew accustomed to the positive effects.

Reviewing the implications of this new research, Chevreau suggested, “People should consider doing a variety of good acts throughout the month. If you do one good thing one day, you will improve your well-being the next. Think about volunteering at a school or visiting a nursing home. Even small things such as praising a child,retrieving groceries for your spouse or running errands for your elderly neighbor, can have positive effects.”

The benefits of these good Samaritan behaviors are superior to basic pleasure-seeking or materialistic motivations. An earlier study in the Journal of Research in Personality shows evidence that helping others leads to greater happiness than hedonic pleasures. Specifically, the effects of being charitable last into the next day, which is not necessarily true for self-serving indulgences.

There appears to be a physiological basis for our altruistic natures, according to research referred to on Mark’s Daily Apple. Human beings have evolved together by benefiting as social creatures. Research shows that acts of kindness can release endorphins, promote a positive immune response, and lower blood pressure. There are biological factors at work that help decrease pain or inhibit depression. They cause the body to act as if it has just had a dose of healthy exercise. Even viewing acts of kindness themselves can have a positive effect.

About Vascular Health Sciences
Founded in 2010, Vascular Health Sciences explores technologies, develops products and disseminates information to increase awareness and promote the proper care of the endothelial glycocalyx. Vascular Health Sciences is committed to increasing awareness of the glycocalyx and its role in vascular health, and to providing products supporting the care of this essential system. For more information, visit VascularHealthSciences.com.

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