GIVE BACK

We tend to think of volunteering—whether it be handing out meals at a soup kitchen or reading Jane Austen to the elderly—as a selfless act: something you do to help your community and improve the lives of others. But research shows it has the added benefit of possibly extending your life. A review of data from 40 di erent studies, published in BMC Public Health, points to about a 20 percent reduction in mortality among people who regularly give their time to others compared to those who don’t. Volunteers are also less depressed and have a greater sense of life satisfaction—good news, now that you’re going to live so much longer.—