Psychology 12

Natalia Cuevas
Caring: Cultivating kindness
Caring for the world as a whole and/or someone else in an altruistic manner on a consistent
basis can benefit your psychological well-being. Genuinely caring for another can lesser your
risk of experiencing depression and boost your life satisfaction. Likewise, studies have also
shown that being part of a group or social hub that supports and cares for you also decreases
your chances of holding disease and lowers your chances of death.
Caring can consist of: (Just a few examples)
Helping your family and close friends
Volunteering
Reaching out to a peer or workmate etc. who looks lonely, or may be struggling in
some way
Any act of kindness, thank-you letter, calling a relative you havent spoken to in a while
and asking how they are etc.
Many other studies agree that there is a major association with demonstrating genuine care for
others and an increased positive affect on their psychological well-being making them feel
happier. Encouraged volunteer work recipients experience greater happiness than those who
take the experience inactively; those recipients did not become significantly happier. It is
considerably hard to prove that volunteering leads to improved mental health, however, Yeun
(2008) discovers in a population of older adults that volunteering over a span of time does
increase your mental well-being and those mental health benefits may [even] be long lasting.
Where does caring come from?
It is suggested by research that caring behaviours are largely influenced by our social
surroundings. Our social influences heavily affect us; these stimuli influence us into caring for
each others well-being. A 2001 study demonstrates how caring behavior manifests differently
in cultures that value independence over interdependence and vice versa, where a balance of
the two values leads to greatest levels of well-being.

Connection:
I feel better when I am caring towards others, it makes me feel depraved and selfish when I
only do things for myself; that is why Im always trying to help out my mother and father after
they come home from a long day of work in whatever way I can. Giving out lunches every
month and collecting clothes for the YWCA Crabtree Corner is a little something my aunt and I
have been going out and doing for two years just to give back to the community, when Im
outside handing out lunches or jackets, seeing grateful smiles definitely makes me feel more
humbled and happy. When I am out helping my grandma, spending time with her and taking
her to her eye appointments I am the happiest. Although I am missing school, I feel like I am
inclined to doing so because of all the great things she has done for me. Now that she is older I
take every moment that she needs me as an importance because who knows how much longer
Ill get to have with her. Every moment I spend with my grandparents is a precious moment,
which is filled with genuine love, care and attention.
Studies:
1. Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., & Norton, M. I. (2012). Happiness runs in a circular motion,
evidence for a positive feedback loop between prosocial spending and happiness:
Studies in the past have questioned whether or not spending money on others contributes
more to your happiness level than spending money on oneself. (Dunn et al. 2008, 2010) This
study although, measures how simply recalling memories of generous spending leads to an
increase in happiness and whether increased levels of happiness lead people to want to spend
on others again. This study has concluded that recalling past memories of spending on others,
does indeed make people happier than thinking of the times they had spent on themselves.

2. Becker, J. C., Tausch, N., & Wagner, U. (2011). Emotional Consequences of Collective Action
Participation Differentiating Self-Directed and Outgroup-Directed Emotions:
-This next study examines how collective action participation is predicted by emotions and how
collective action participation feeds your emotions and strengthens them further motivating one
to participate in giving/ good actions.
-Collective action participation influences both positive emotions (such a joy and happiness)
and negative emotions (anger and contempt) simultaneously. Inherited motivation and social
identity processes influence these emotional outcomes as well.
3. Borgonovi, F. (2008). Doing well by doing good, The relationship between formal
volunteering and self-reported health and happiness:
- Borgonovis researches whether engaging in volunteer work contributes to your well-being.
Studies have shown that there are clear ties between caring for other and physical and mental
health. People who volunteer more are most likely to decrease their rates mortality and
depression; instead they feel more fulfilled and happy. Nonetheless, this association between
volunteer work and its corresponding into happiness does not explain motivating factors for
voluntary work.
-Results indicate that formal volunteering is correlated to health and happiness.
-Volunteering is significantly associated with happiness and consistent formal volunteering
increases levels of self-reported happiness.
4. Cosley, B. J., McCoy, S. K., Saslow, L. R., & Epel, E. S. (2010).
Is compassion for others stress buffering? Consequences of compassion and social support for
physiological reactivity to stress:
This last study examines how demonstrating compassion towards others and receiving
support during a hard time benefits your well-being. The findings of this study conclude that
supportive individuals are also benefited by helping others and the stress and sadness levels of
the receiver are significantly decreased.