Well-Being and Civic Engagement

Compiled by Lucas Huffman, Ginsberg Graduate Academic Liaison

Civic engagement not only benefits our communities, but has positive benefits for us as individuals, reducing isolation and creating connections with people and institutions beyond ourselves. When students are engaged in making the world better, in addition to advancing student learning, there is the added benefit of improving individual well-being. Below, we offer an overview of research findings that indicate that altruism & civic engagement contribute to emotional and mental well-being.

Numerous studies, inclusive of diverse participants of all ages, show strong links between altruistic behavior and well-being. People with higher average altruistic behavior exhibit more positive emotions, better mental health, reduced depression, and more robust well-being in response to stress.^{1, 2}  Adolescents involved in school or community-based civic activities have elevated psychological well-being, increased academic engagement, and more involvement in activities than peers who were not involved in these activities.³  We also know from reports and interviews with elderly individuals that more frequent volunteering and involvement in civic society leads to higher ratings of life satisfaction.⁴

Heightened well-being leads to further altruism and initiates a cycle of positive feedback. Volunteer work enhances six different aspects of well-being: Happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and depression. Further, those who have greater well-being invest more hours in volunteer service.^5,6  Many other studies support this two-way relationship, with greater positive emotions/well-being promoting more generosity,⁷ leading to activation of reward neural circuits in the brain,⁸ and being most effective when the individual is made aware of benefits to well-being.⁹ 

Common cultural ideology often suggests to focus on one’s self to achieve personal well-being. Interestingly many studies show the opposite, that other-focused acts of kindness more effectively promote personal well-being. Other-focused activities significantly improve positive emotions and happiness, reduce stress, reduce negative emotions, and encourage long-lasting promotion of altruism relative to self-focused activities which are not as effective.^{10, 11, 12} 

Reflection, especially frequent reflection, plays an essential role in tying together engagement, altruism, and well-being. ^{13, 14}  Reflection also fosters critical thinking, ¹⁵ meaning making,¹⁶ and leads to more long-term commitment to community and civic responsibility and participation.^{14, 17}