Volunteering

　　Volunteering can make us all feel better especially retirees. But can it also extend their lives?

　　Although volunteering has long been touted for its social responsibility and psychological benefits, it ap pears to also have some health benefits. Helping others simply feels good, providing a sense of purpose and wel l-being. That in itself can be energizing and spiritual ly fulfilling, helping to reduce stress and possibly bo osting the immune system, say some researchers.

　　But two new studies show that these benefits may be strongest among retirees, and one speculates that volun teering may even help seniors live longer.

　　At the Institute for Social Research at the Univers ity of Michigan, researchers found that retirees who vo lunteered about 40 hours per year had a 30 percent redu ced risk of dying during a seven-year follow-up period compared with other retirees who didn't volunteer. In a ddition, retirees who volunteered for one organization regardless of the number of hours the reduced risk was about 40 percent.

　　That study, involving 1,211people who were 65 and o lder and published in a recent issue of the Journal of Gerontology(老人医学) : Social Sciences, showed that the mo st benefit came from modest participation in volunteeri ng. "Because of age, these people may be experiencing h ealth declines and physical limitations," says Marc Mus ick, Ph. D., principal author of the study and now an a ssistant professor of sociology at the University of Te xas at Austin. "If you take on too much volunteering, t here may be certain stresses incurred that could offset those positive effects."

　　Meanwhile, another study by Cornell University rese archers found that retirees who volunteered or particip ated in community organizations reported feeling happie r, more energetic and have a greater sense of "mastery" over their lives than other retirees who aren't active in their community. That study, which involved 762 reti rees between ages 50 and 72, was presented before the A merican Sociological Association in Chicago this summer .

　　Although previous studies have shown that volunteer ing tends to make most people feel better, at least abo ut themselves, these two studies indicate that perhaps retirees may reap the most advantages of staying active .