Helping Others Helps Your Own MindAltruism Offers Mental

Dear All,

People who help others may be rewarded with better mental health.

A new study of churchgoers shows that people who offer love, caring and
support to others have better mental health than those who only receive help
from others.

Researchers say the findings suggest that altruism offers mental-health
benefits that can help counter the negative effects of stressful life
events.

"The act of giving to someone else may have mental-health benefits because
the very nature of focusing outside the self counters the self-focused
nature of anxiety or depression," write researcher Carolyn Schwartz, ScD, of
the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and colleagues.

By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News
Oct. 21, 2003

Regards,
The Moksha team