There are many benefits to volunteering, these are the most important ones for me.
Programmed to help people
Firstly, I’m kind of programmed to help people. That’s where my focus has always been. In work and in my personal life. I think this programming comes from my personality type being INFJ (under the MBTI framework)
One INFJ definition is “While they are introverted by nature, people with an INFJ personality type can form strong, meaningful connections with other people. They enjoy helping others, but they also need time and space to recharge.”
It’s an interesting having a ‘help people’ reward drive. It’s quite a cheap lifestyle, I don’t need a fancy house, car or boat. I just need to go out and help people to be fulfilled.
Reciprocity
I think reciprocity has really paid off for me. If you help a great number of people, they tend to want to help you back. Reciprocity is an interesting psychological concept. Almost all of the time when I help someone I’m not expecting anything back. Maybe subconsciously I’m expecting the universe will balance out and my helping will get returned in some form. Now that I think about it, that’s a really interesting way to live your life. A guiding principle…
Love The Technology
When I used to work in IT Support I was always fixing technology. Now that I am retired I want to use technology to connect with people. I love the technology of the video call. It’s very reliable now. I think it is amazing I can video call someone ten kilometres away or fifteen thousand kilometres away and I really can’t tell the difference. I guess I’m showing my age but I grew up with a black and white TV and the radio as the level of technology I had access too. And a rotary dial phone.
Even international phone calls were very expensive in the early part of my life, $2 to $5 per minute – no wonder I enjoy the video call now š
Outside Broadcasts
I also don’t have be home to talk to a student. I have options to talk to my students while I am outside the house. A laptop, a tablet, my phone. I have tripods, selfie sticks, multiple different headsets that can tune out wind noise and background noise. I can talk in parks, cafe’s, food courts, restaurants. I even have a setup where I can talk and show video while I am walking or hiking.
That said, at home is my most comfortable setup, with a comfortable chair, monitor and great webcam in my home office.
Social Connection Health Benefits
Social connection with my students has health benefits. I am quite introverted but I do need two to three hours of social connection a day. After that I prefer my solo hobbies and interests. An area I find interesting as an older male is what reduces your risk of death. Having high social connection reduces your risk of death from all causes 20-50 percent depending on what study you look at.
Volunteering Health Benefits
Volunteering also has many health benefits but I think for me it gives me a sense of purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. When I’m talking to my students I’m very relaxed and very focussed. It’s a nice combination. I think anything that reduces your stress level, instead of raising it, I’m all for it. I’ve had volunteering roles that have been a bit stressful, mainly in relation to time pressure as they were busy volunteering roles. Whereas, when I’m volunteering online one-to-one there is a real focus to it, without the distractions that I’ve experienced in my career and other volunteering roles.
If you look at volunteering, the reduction in all cause mortality is around 22 percent. I feel social connection and volunteering would have a similar underlying cause of reducing all cause mortality. It reduces stress levels in the body.
Dopamine Hits
Like most activities I’m also in it for the dopamine hits. When you help someone get a job, pass an English exam or apply to study for a degree in an English speaking country I do get a real buzz from it.
Helping People Can Ripple into the Future
I have another interesting philosophy. The only thing you can leave behind when you die, is that you have helped people. Someone else will have your house, your car, your money…so it doesn’t mean that much. But helping people can ripple into the future, perhaps through multiple people. If you improve one person’s life they may improve other peoples in the future.
There are many other benefits to volunteering if you google it, but I’ve written about the ones that benefit me the most.
If you have ever done any volunteer work I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
My local park in Melbourne. With my setup I use for outdoor student sessions.
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