According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds Poll, one of the Christmas traditions Americans look forward to most this year is giving and receiving gifts.
31% said they were looking forward to it. That’s natural. Gifts can be a lot of fun. But the holidays are also an opportunity to make a different kind of giving that makes you feel good.
“Acts of kindness trigger the release of dopamine, the brain’s reward and motivation chemical,” Jennifer Moss, former member of the World Happiness Council and author of Unlocking Happiness at Work, recently wrote for CNBC Make It. For example, one study found that performing acts of kindness for seven days, whether to a friend or a stranger, increased happiness.
Here are some activities experts recommend you try.
Try helping a stranger or volunteering locally
When planning your vacation, consider any of the following acts of service that researchers have found contribute to your well-being.
Volunteer at an animal shelter, unmanned shelter, education center, or other location in your area where you help strangers, such as by holding a door open or letting someone slip into your car.
“Simple acts like passing a hot drink to a friend or genuinely thanking a retail employee can lift your mood and make you feel socially connected,” Moss writes.
Reduce your own stress in the process
There is evidence that these acts of kindness not only increase happiness, but also reduce stress. This may be important considering that 41% of Americans say they expect more stress this holiday season than last year, according to APA.
“Brain imaging studies show that helping others activates reward centers and reduces activity in stress-related areas,” stress expert Rebecca Heiss previously wrote on CNBC Make It.
“When we focus on contributing to our community, we literally rewire our brains to deal with stress more effectively,” she writes.
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