Volunteering may boost your brain in six ways.

Researchers report that volunteering is associated with better mood and lower stress in older adults.

Volunteering is described as an activity that can benefit both the people helped and the volunteers themselves. Experts cited in the article say volunteering exercises physical, emotional and mental faculties at once. Research and clinical observations link volunteer activity with several measures of brain and mental health, especially among older adults. The article summarizes six ways these benefits have been observed. Key findings: - Volunteering is linked with improved mood through activation of brain reward systems and the release of neurotransmitters associated with pleasure. - Studies report that people who volunteer can show lower or more balanced cortisol levels, a hormone related to stress. - Research from the University of California, Davis found associations between volunteering and better memory and executive function in older adults. - Increased social interaction through volunteer roles is reported to reduce loneliness, and stronger social ties are linked with lower risk of some cognitive decline. - Surveys and studies note that volunteering can support a stronger sense of purpose, and a lower sense of purpose is reported among many older adults. - A program called Experience Corps, in which older volunteers tutor children, was reported to coincide with improvements in daily functioning and memory measures for the volunteers. Summary: The article brings together clinical observations and several research studies that associate volunteering with benefits for mood, stress regulation, cognition, social connection and purpose, particularly for older adults. How these findings translate across different programs and populations is still being studied. Undetermined at this time.