Research has already proven that donating time as a volunteer can improve physical health, but now new research suggests spending money on others can benefit your health as well. Researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted an experiment in which two groups of adults aged 65 and older were given $40 a week for three weeks to spend. One half were told to spend on themselves and the other were told to spend it on others. With blood pressure examinations before and after the study, those who were told to spend money on others had significant reductions in blood pressure compared to those who spent only on themselves. The researchers still don’t how long these benefits last or how well they would work if it had been their own money, but in any case, it seems financial generosity benefits both the giver and the receiver.
Spending money on others could benefit your health
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