mind: oxytocin - why giving is good for you
When times get tough it can be easy to panic, throw on your armour and head in to survival mode. With the world currently in one of the most unpredictable states of our generation, we have seen grown adults fighting for toilet paper and people close to us acting in ways we may never have witnessed before. With uncertainty comes fear and when we are fearful we sometimes can lose sight of rationality and perspective.
Amongst the chaos, we are also witnessing an overwhelming new found sense of community. Neighbours helping one another more than ever before, family members building bridges and people we have never met offering random acts of kindness. When things get tough, it feels good to stand by one another, to help those that may not normally ask for help and be there for our friends when they need it most. Giving may be an amazing way to pay it forward but it’s also really good for you. Step forward our new best mate oxytocin.
Known as the love hormone, oxytocin is produced by the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland. It can bring us feelings of love, bonding and wellbeing and is also produced by Mothers when they are breastfeeding. Oxytocin is released when we're physically intimate. It's tied to making us more trusting, generous and friendly, whilst also lowering our blood pressure. This is where kindness steps in.
When you do something for someone else, are loving, caring or thoughtful, oxytocin is released. So dropping off some flowers to your grandparents, letting someone in front of you in a queue or picking up the bill after dinner is not only making other people feel pretty special, it’s helping you too. Oxytocin has also been known to increase our self-esteem and optimism, which is extra helpful when we’re feeling anxious.
Dr David Hamilton has written in depth about the hormone saying “Remarkable research now shows that oxytocin reduces levels of free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system and so slows ageing at source. Incidentally these two culprits also play a major role in heart disease so this is also another reason why kindness is good for the heart.”
When we're kind, we inspire others to be kind. A small thoughtful task for someone you don’t know, can indirectly help so many. So when things get tough and your go to is to take whatever you can, take a moment and do the opposite.
