STRESSFUL days usually result in a worse mood and poor mental health, but research has shown that doing even relatively small acts for others such as opening a door for someone, helps us feel less miserable.
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"We often turn to others for social support when we're feeling stressed, but these new results suggest that proactively doing things for others may be another effective strategy for coping with everyday worries and strains," said Emily Ansell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.
"The holiday season can be a very stressful time, so think about giving directions, asking someone if they need help, or holding that elevator door over the next month," Dr Ansell said.
"It may end up helping you feel just a little bit better."
Dr Ansell and co-authors Elizabeth B. Raposa (UCLA and Yale University School of Medicine) and Holly B. Laws (Yale University School of Medicine) conducted a study in which people used their smartphones to report on their feelings and experiences in daily life.
A total of 77 adults, ranging from 18 to 44 years old, participated in the 14-day study; people with substance dependences, diagnosed mental illness, or cognitive impairment were not included for participation.
The participants received an automated phone reminder every night that prompted them to complete their daily assessment.
They were asked to report any stressful life events they experienced that day across several domains (such as interpersonal, work/education, home, finance, health/accident) and the total number of events comprised the measure of daily stress.
They were also asked to report whether they had engaged in various helpful behaviours (like holding open a door, helping with schoolwork, and asking someone if they needed help) that day. They were also asked to rate their mental health.
The results indicated that helping others boosted participants' daily well-being.
A greater number of helping behaviours was associated with higher levels of daily positive emotion and better overall mental health.
The helping behaviour seemed to buffer the negative effects of stress on well-being.
