An Examination of the Impact Volunteer Work has on the Volunteer

Volunteer Service is a unique opportunity for both adults and children to give back to their local communities and organizations. Whether a holiday season offering, a New Year’s Resolution or just a summer camp experience, Americans all over the country reach out to both fellow man and animal offering support and service. For many, the benefit of the volunteer work is not only visible through the eyes of the recipient but also through the eyes of the volunteer himself. Offering both physical and emotional advantages, volunteers are experiencing an overwhelming sense of well being known as the Helper’s “High”.

Helper’s “High” was first described many years ago and has been also known as the Helper’s “Calm”. Described in psychology when psychologists found that volunteer service provides for a combination approach to health; encompassing both a physical benefit as well as an emotional or spiritual benefit to the volunteer. Volunteers often describe this euphoric feeling as being similar to the feeling one may feel following a strenuous physical work out. For those who feel a sense of stress, volunteer service may provide an avenue for relaxation, instilling the Helper’s “High”, while giving back to the community at the same time.

In fact, research has gone on to show that individuals who suffer from chronic pain such as headaches, joint pain and muscle fatigue, may obtain benefit through volunteer service and a Helper’s “High” experience. As the endorphins are released, sensitivity to pain is diminished thereby improving the quality of life for the volunteer. In fact, to achieve the Helper’s “High”, volunteer service does not have to be physically demanding. Many individuals involved in counseling sessions for the abused and mentally ill, state the Helper’s “High” sets in following a day of serving the emotional needs of others. Through a simple offering of emotional support, volunteers can acquire the Helper’s “High” and improve their own quality of life.