Help others in need

Helping others in need is one of the most reliable pathways to personal meaning and wellbeing. Post's research on altruism and health outcomes (2005) found that individuals who regularly help others experience lower rates of depression, greater life satisfaction, and even reduced mortality risk. This is not merely correlation — experimental studies demonstrate that acts of helping cause measurable increases in positive affect and decreases in stress hormones. Erikson's concept of generativity — the concern for establishing and guiding the next generation — positions helping others as a core developmental task of adulthood. Those who fail to develop generativity risk stagnation, self-absorption, and a diminished sense of purpose. Helping is also contagious: Cialdini's research on social influence shows that witnessing acts of help increases the likelihood that observers will help others in turn, creating cascading positive effects through communities.

• 1
  You walk past obvious opportunities to help — a struggling colleague, a neighbor in need — without acting
• 2
  You rationalize inaction by telling yourself someone else will step in
• 3
  You have not performed a meaningful act of service for another person in the past month
• 4
  You feel emotionally numb or indifferent when you hear about others' struggles

Consider these questions to understand where you stand: