Mind and behavior · 1 min read
Three weeks of doing favors did not lift mood
Among more than a thousand participants, those who intentionally helped others ended with well-being similar to that of the others.
The study, in plain language
It seems intuitive that helping someone might also make us feel better. To test that idea during the pandemic, the team randomly assigned adults in the United States and Canada to perform helpful acts, choose rewarding activities for themselves, or record neutral activities over three weeks.
The prespecified comparison showed no differences in happiness, life evaluation, anxiety, or depression. An additional, unplanned look only at those who said they made more effort showed small signals in anxiety and life evaluation compared with the neutral group, smaller than the authors themselves expected. Helping and feeling better were not linked in the same way in every analysis.
The key idea
The main comparison did not show that helping improved well-being compared with treating yourself or doing a neutral task.
Something to think about
The idea that helping makes us feel better may sound logical, but that does not guarantee a measurable effect. You could ask yourself what you expect to feel when you help and what you actually feel.
The original study
Using prosocial behavior to safeguard mental health and foster emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: A registered report of a randomized trial
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.