There is a saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Although eating properly is important, being kind to others is also good for your health. Recent studies show that people who do kind acts are more relaxed, happier, and healthier than other people.
In one study at Arizona State University, researchers found that many volunteers experienced a sudden feeling of joy, followed by a long period of calmness, after doing a kind act. This feeling, called “a helper’s high”, may actually help reduce stress as the body produces natural painkillers.
Stress can cause serious health problems. It can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, and it can also lead to overeating and sleeping problems. However, the study found that volunteers had fewer stress-related health problems when they did helpful things for other people.
The study also found that people who did nice things for others felt better about themselves as well. They had higher self-respect, and were happier. Many believe this is because volunteers spend more of their time with other people. People who are more outgoing are often healthier.
Another study at the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center confirmed the health benefits of volunteering. A ten-year study of 2,700 men in Michigan showed that people who volunteered lived longer than those who didn’t. Although you shouldn’t need a reason to be helpful, it is nice to know that kindness may help you live longer.
1. According to Paragraph 1, what do recent studies show?2. According to the passage, what serious health problems can stress cause?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
>When volunteers did helpful things for other people, they had fewer stress-related health problems, felt better about others and respected others more.
4. Besides the benefits mentioned in this passage, what do you think are some other benefits of volunteering? Why? (In about 40 words)
