”People whose happiness comes primarily from doing good for others, rather than from hedonistic self-satisfaction, show a much more favorable gene profile, with less inflammation and better antibody and antiviral activity,” says lead researcher Steven W. Cole, Ph.D., professor of medicine at UCLA. No need to get lofty. “It can be a simple as investing more time with your grandchildren – whatever you care about.”
Janice Scott-Reeder agrees, “Now I understand why in the psychiatric office I would see people totally destroyed by a small injury and other people almost destroyed by a major injury, up and helping the others. If your focus is yourself, you will eventually destroy yourself with the bombardment of energy. If your focus is others, your body will follow the energy of your focus and get you up and out to help them. It’s simple physics. Focus a laser on itself and it will burn itself out. Focus it on something else and it will burn it and survive.”