Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering
Posted by AmeriCorps on April 1, 2025
As gerontologists, social scientists who study aging populations, we envision a future in which older people leave a doctor’s visit with a prescription to go volunteer for something.
Does that sound far-fetched? There’s scientific research backing it up.
Good for your health
While spending more than a dozen years researching what happens when older adults volunteer with nonprofits, including churches, we’ve found that volunteers consider themselves to be in better health than their peers who don’t. In addition, their blood pressure is lower, and they appear to be aging more slowly than other people of the same age.
Other researchers have found that volunteering is associated with a lower risk of having a heart attack.
The mental health benefits are just as striking.
Volunteering is tied to having fewer symptoms of depression and being more satisfied with your life. It often brings an instant boost in mood – along with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.
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