Volunteering would be a good thing even if it didn’t provide any health benefits. But it does.

After retiring after 35 years as a teacher, Jeff Kellert started volunteering as a tutor and helped with monthly dinners at his synagogue.

Later, he became certified to lead biweekly support groups for the National Mental Health Alliance, an organization for loved ones of people with mental illness.

In total, Kellert, 71, volunteers about 30 hours a month. The experience keeps him active, but just as importantly, he says, it has allowed him to make new friends and build new relationships. a motivation he didn’t expect retirement.

“That, coupled with a good sense of self-esteem and self-confidence, makes me feel successful. something productive“Retirement isn’t what it used to be, sitting in your rocking chair knitting. It’s so much more than that,” said Kellert, of Albany, New York.

Volunteering can also help you live longer, as various studies show that there are a variety of health and psychological benefits.

Jacquelyn Stephens, a developmental health psychologist at the Mather Institute, a nonprofit in Evanston, Illinois, that studies healthy aging, said volunteering would be a good thing, even if it didn’t provide as many benefits.

“But it turns out that it is, especially for older people,” she said.

Eric S. Kim, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said his research has linked volunteering to more positive emotions, less loneliness and more social support.

“These things have downstream effects, like increased healthy behaviors, as well as increased healthier biological functions like reduced inflammation,” Kim said.

Older people are not the only ones to benefit, although they are the most studied group. There are indications that Volunteering helps high school students Also.

Stephens pointed out that some types of volunteering, such as loading boxes at a food bank, include physical activity. But the work doesn’t have to be physical to be beneficial, she added.

“It’s a bit like exercise: The best kind of volunteering is the kind you actually do,” she said, noting that the only risk is overcommitting, which would negate the health benefits. “It’s not good to be stressed about your volunteering.”

Stephens says many people don’t volunteer because they initially only think of a few common options that don’t appeal to them, like tutoring or helping with food for the needy. Instead, she suggests reaching out to your social network to learn about opportunities others have benefited from.

This helps to ensure that an organisation provides a good environment for volunteers and encourages people to get involved with a friend or relative in a way that deepens their bond.

Other good places to start are AmeriCorps and aggregator websites such as VolunteerMatchwhich matches a person’s skills with opportunities in their field.

Kellert recommended simply searching online for “volunteer opportunities in my city,” but he also suggested doing some soul-searching before you retire.

“Most of the time, it’s right in front of you,” he said. “What do you love? What do you want to do? And now you can do it.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Stumm writes about food, travel, and wellness. Find his work at