Giving: A Natural High

by David Granirer

We all know that it feels good to give.

Well now science backs that up. 

According to researchers at the Hebrew University in Israel, habit­ual­ly helping others may work via the same brain pathways as addictive drugs. Their study found a correlation between pro-social behaviour and a gene that affects the release of dopamine. 

Dopamine has been referred to as the brain’s reward mechanism. It can be artificially released at very high levels by drugs such as heroin and cocaine resulting in a euphoric state. Current thinking is that altruism behaves the same way, releasing dopamine in the brain causing a feeling of being high, albeit at lower levels than if we did drugs. 

And the great feeling we get from acts of altruism provides us with motivation to go out and do more kind things. 

The nay-sayers are proclaiming that altruistic behaviour is detrimental to our development since it causes us to waste precious resources better spent guaranteeing our own survival and growth. That being said, it seems that we’re coded both to survive and to help others. And since helping others makes us happy, and being happy seems crucial to our survival, maybe there isn’t conflict, rather a synergy between giving to others and our own personal growth. 

Furthermore, when we’re depressed our thinking tends to be very self-obsessed. Giving to others causes us to focus outside of ourselves, to not be so self-absorbed. Thus the “altruism high” could be one of natures antidepressants, rewarding ways of thinking that combat the inward and downward spiral of depression. 

That’s not to say that acts of kindness overcome clinical depression. But they can certainly make us feel better when we’re having a bad day. 

So the next time you catch yourself down in the dumps, catch an “altruism high” by doing something nice for someone else. Just make sure you don’t get addicted!  

David Granirer gives Laughter in the Workplace presentations, helping hundreds of organizations throughout North America reduce stress, increase wellness and cope with change. For more information call (604) 205-9242 or go to www.psychocomic.com.