Even a small amount of helping others is associated with a slower rate of aging in older adults, according to a recent study.
Those who volunteer between 50 and 199 hours a year — roughly one to four hours a week — see the aging process slow meaningfully, according to researchers at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and other institutions.
The benefits are particularly pronounced for retirees, and increase as people log more volunteer hours.
In reaching their conclusions, the researchers analyzed data on people age 51 and older, including both retirees and workers.
The study looked at how volunteering affects epigenetic aging. Epigenetics refers to how our behaviors and our surroundings can prompt changes that impact the way our genes work.
The researchers essentially found that at a biological level, people who volunteer age a bit slower than those who don’t volunteer, says Cal Halvorsen, an associate professor at the Brown School and co-author of the study.
In particular, those who volunteered for more than 200 hours annually experienced “significant” health benefits.
In a summary of the study findings, Halvorsen says:
“In general, we found that volunteering more than 200 hours a year — more than about 4 hours per week, on average — was associated with the greatest reduction in age acceleration. This type of consistent engagement likely provides a higher ‘dose’ of the social, physical and purposeful interaction that we think is good for people.”
It is likely that retired people get an especially large benefit from volunteering because it helps replace the sense of engagement that many retirees lose when they stop working, Halvorsen says.
The study was published in the scientific journal Social Science & Medicine.
For more on staying cheerful during your golden years, check out “Retirees Who Do This Are More Likely To Be Happy.”
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