1 . Volunteering offers great help to people in need, but the benefits (好处) can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

    1    . Being a volunteer helps you make new friends and improve your social skills. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It develops your ties to the community, broadens your support network and offers you chances to know people with common interests and fun activities.

    2    , others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body.     3    . Nothing reduces (减少) stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have found that older volunteers are likely to walk more and find it easier to sleep regularly.     4    .

If you’re considering a new job, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field.     5     , volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork communication, problem solving and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching (伸展) your wings at work once you have improved these skills in a volunteer position first.

New research published by a team of psychologists at the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that our own happiness     1     (influence) by the kindness and generosity we show to others.

    2     (arrive) at this conclusion, the researchers asked a group of research participants to engage in a series of     3     (experiment) that examine them in acts of their own happiness against those aimed at     4     (improve) the happiness of others. In one study, participants were given a few coins by a research assistant on the street after parking their cars. They were asked to put some coins either into their own parking meters (停车计时器)     5     in others' nearby.     6     (interesting), people who put coins in others' meters showed     7     (great) happiness than those who put money in their own, despite not knowing who they were helping.

The researchers offer a good     8     (explain) for the reasons why they come to such a conclusion. According to the researchers, an effort to make another person happy inspires feelings of closeness,     9    , in turn, explains why people end up feeling happy themselves.

But it is not just financial generosity that has the power to increase our happiness. Simply adopting an attitude that puts others' happiness above our own has     10     positive influence on our psychological happiness.

6 . Improve Your Relationships

Having stable and positive relationships in your life can make you happier and more fulfilled. Whether it's your friends, family, or significant other, improving a relationship can sometimes be confusing.     1    

Express your appreciation for the person.

    2     Notice the positive things that the person is doing and go out of your way to show your appreciation for them. You can also show your appreciation by remembering important events like anniversaries or birthdays.

    3    

If you hardly see each other or talk to each other, it can be difficult to maintain a relationship. Take extra time out of your day and devote it to the person that you want to improve relations with. Try to work around the other person's schedule so that you can spend the time together. You can share a meal, watch a show, listen to music, or go shopping with them.

Turn off distractions.

Distractions like a cell phone, social media, or video games can create a division in between you and another person. If you notice that you are always distracted, you should turn off your cell phone or computer and talk to them.     4    

Seek therapy(心理治疗) if you can't get along.

To fix or improve family relationships or relationships with your significant other, you can turn to therapy. If you notice that you and the person are always arguing over the same kinds of things, and nothing has worked, you should consider seeking therapy with them.     5     And family therapy may be able to restore bonds between family members.

At a time when we are all experiencing an extraordinary level of stress, science offers a simple and effective way to improve our own emotional （情感的）health.

To help yourself,     1    （ start） by helping others.

As     2     matter of fact, our bodies and minds benefit in a variety of     3    （ way）when we help others. Some research has focused     4     the “ helper's high. " Studies show that volunteering, donating money, or even just thinking about donating money can release （释 放）feel-good brain chemicals.

    5     （feel） responsible for other people also can help us deal with whatever challenges life brings. Emily Greenfield, an associate     6    （ consult） of social work at Rutgers

University, studied a concept called “felt obligation （义务），”   which     7     （measure） by asking people questions such as how obligated they would feel to give money to a friend in need, even     8     it meant putting themselves in trouble.

As it turned out, the people who had higher levels of “felt obligation” - meaning they were the type of people to sacrifice for others - dealt     9    （ well） with their own life challenges than others.

She     10     （note） that caring for others helped us to regulate our own emotions and gain a sense of control.

Last spring, the Art students League of New York, an art school, found its members effectively     1     (separate). Wanting to provide     2     opportunity for the students to dig deep within themselves, the league made an open call for contributions to the COVID-19 comics Anthology(选集).

Since then, people     3     (participate) in their contributions actively. The anthology brings together the works of 76 artists from around the world and is a     4     (person) glimpse into how each one interprets their experiences about this ongoing disruption in their     5     (life).

Although the news cycle of 2020 has been overwhelming(令人难以应对的), the events can     6     (understand) in a different way when selected through the hands of artists. The editor of the comics Kitchen threw     7     (she) into her work and she said, “The pandemic is     8     (extreme) frightening, but it is a fight worldwide. Everyone has access     9     expressing their inner thoughts with pens and ink, showing how the disasters can be defeated. ”

Art is one of the most important lenses ( 滤镜), through     10     society views itself and people grow.

10 . Don't brag(炫耀)，but be proud of what you've done. These two pieces of advice were tough to balance before Facebook existed.    1    We are unable to draw a line between a humble bragging and a straight-up bragging. But we certainly know that oversharing doesn't do your friendship any favors.

Social media like Facebook bring us convenience.    2    Once upon a time, only your family and close friends would be there to see you eagerly open presents on Christmas morning. Now the photo you take on your iPhone will likely become a touch-up Instagram in about 15 seconds. Maybe you just post it subconsciously. But your sharing behavior could easily be considered annoying or even narcissistic(自恋的).

    3    Maybe we should all be asking ourselves the question before hitting the share button. As our personal fame grows alongside our social media presences, so does the number of people we could potentially impress or bother.

According to Therapist Jessica Michaels, providing "emotional context" may help prevent what might be seen as a bragging. Think about how you say something, not just what you say. Frame it in a way that makes it more of a sharing idea. For example, if you plan a party for Christmas, you could post "Hey friends of mine! Let's plan this together. Maybe we could all go." instead of saying "Oh I can't wait to enjoy my party."     4    

Remember, the original intention behind social media is a connector, and your true best friends definitely do want to know when things are going good for you. Next time when you post a photo of your fantastic winter vacation, for example, make sure to tag your friends.    5    

A little bit of social media love goes a long way!