--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Volunteering to help others is the right…" description: "\"“Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness; a review of research by the Corporation for National and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/gretchen-rubin-867_community-service_volunteering-to-help-others-is-the-right_759804.jpg" --- # Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and… ![“Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness; a review of research by the Corporation for National and Community Service shows that those who aid the causes they value tend to be happier and in better health. They show fewer signs of physical and…” quote by Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/gretchen-rubin-867_community-service_volunteering-to-help-others-is-the-right_759804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/gretchen-rubin-867_community-service_volunteering-to-help-others-is-the-right_759804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/gretchen-rubin-867_community-service_volunteering-to-help-others-is-the-right_759804.jpg) > ““Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness; a review of research by the Corporation for National and Community Service shows that those who aid the causes they value tend to be happier and in better health. They show fewer signs of physical and mental aging. And it's not just that helpful people also tend to be healthier and happier; helping others causes happiness. "Be selfless, if only for selfish reasons," as one of my happiness paradoxes holds. About one-quarter of Americans volunteer, and of those, a third volunteer for more than a hundred hours each year.”” [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Helping others improves personal well‑being, health, and slows aging, creating a paradox where self‑less acts serve selfish happiness goals **In simple terms:** Helping others makes you happier and healthier. Key Takeaway Volunteer to boost your own happiness. Themes volunteering well‑being health paradox community Mood inspirational reflective optimistic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - community service - career networking - mental health improvement - senior wellness programs Key Concepts Altruism positive psychology social capital Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to volunteer? - How does volunteering affect your stress levels? A Different Perspective Benefits may vary with personal motivation and time constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causes Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-happiness-1070088/) [Community service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-service/) [Happier Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happier-helping-3326896/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Selfless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-selfless-1882898/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Help others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-others/) [Helping Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-causes-5894107/) [Helping others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-others/) [Personal happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-happiness/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Volunteer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volunteer/) [Volunteering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volunteering/) [Volunteerism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volunteerism/) ## Related quotes > [Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/volunteering-to-help-others-is-the-right-thing-to-do-and-it-also-2/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“I love you and sometimes that means you have to sacrifice your own happiness to be selfless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-mcclean/i-love-you-and-sometimes-that-means-you-have-to-sacrifice-your-own/) [Joanne McClean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-mcclean/) > [Is it weird that I like when people vent to me? Like I'm genuinely happier when I'm helping somebody..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/is-it-weird-that-i-like-when-people-vent-to-me-like-i-m-genuinely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Constriction causes pain, relaxation causes happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-morgan/constriction-causes-pain-relaxation-causes-happiness/) [Sean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-morgan/) > [“We can learn to act and think in ways that sow seeds of our future well-being, gradually becoming more aware of what causes happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-can-learn-to-act-and-think-in-ways-that-sow-seeds-of-our-future/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I always wanted to understand the causes of happiness. I'm a bit of a scientist, I guess you could say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/i-always-wanted-to-understand-the-causes-of-happiness-i-m-a-bit-of-a/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [Helping others is not limited to providing food, shelter, and so forth, but includes relieving the basic causes of suffering and providing the basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/helping-others-is-not-limited-to-providing-food-shelter-and-so-forth/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [It is the active exercise of our faculties in conformity with virtue that causes happiness, and the opposite activities its opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/it-is-the-active-exercise-of-our-faculties-in-conformity-with-virtue/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Personal happiness seems mysteriously and frustratingly elusive. Even when people achieve it, they can't hold onto it. That is the greatest clue, the biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/personal-happiness-seems-mysteriously-and-frustratingly-elusive-even/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [The thing is, when I had my first success it did coincide with the end of my first marriage, and because I went on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brydon/the-thing-is-when-i-had-my-first-success-it-did-coincide-with-the-end/) [Rob Brydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brydon/) > [The object of life is not happiness, but to serve God or the Grail. All of the Grail quests are to serve God. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/the-object-of-life-is-not-happiness-but-to-serve-god-or-the-grail-all/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personal-happiness-lies-in-knowing-that-life-is-not-a-checklist-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-washington/i-am-still-determined-to-be-cheerful-and-happy-in-whatever-situation/) [Martha Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-washington/) > [“Personal happiness is always a very serious matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/personal-happiness-is-always-a-very-serious-matter/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, say Smith and Denton, seems to be “colonizing many historical religious traditions and, almost without anyone noticing, converting believers in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenda-creasy-dean/moralistic-therapeutic-deism-say-smith-and-denton-seems-to-be/) [Kenda Creasy Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenda-creasy-dean/) ## More by Gretchen Rubin > [“Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/second-splendid-truth-one-of-the-best-ways-to-make-yourself-happy-is/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Knowing what you admire in others is a wonderful mirror into your deepest, as yet unborn, self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/knowing-what-you-admire-in-others-is-a-wonderful-mirror-into-your/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. 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You frequently see the children of doctors enter medicine, military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-bush/it-is-not-unusual-for-children-to-follow-the-paths-cut-by-their/) [Neil Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-bush/) > [Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/social-media-is-not-about-the-exploitation-of-technology-but-service/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [This is an extremely foolish and stupid and idiotic kind of attitude - to expect theatres to make money. Do the public schools make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hirsch/this-is-an-extremely-foolish-and-stupid-and-idiotic-kind-of-attitude/) [John Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hirsch/) > [“You don’t mention what you’d like to study, but I assure you there are many ways to fund a graduate education. I know a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/you-don-t-mention-what-you-d-like-to-study-but-i-assure-you-there-are/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-height/without-community-service-we-would-not-have-a-strong-quality-of-life/) [Dorothy Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-height/) > [I believe in God... just in case. It's like there's some list somewhere and you don't want to be on it. I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-in-god-just-in-case-it-s-like-there-s-some-list-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Stay committed to changing the world, volunteering, and creating the good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-committed-to-changing-the-world-volunteering-and-creating-the/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Entrepreneurs and volunteers inspired by Hizmet's values have invested in modern education and community service in more than 150 countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/entrepreneurs-and-volunteers-inspired-by-hizmet-s-values-have/) [Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/) > [“Desire to dwell in clean environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/desire-to-dwell-in-clean-environment/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Ellis shook her head sadly. “I ate fifteen boxes of cookies the last time I robbed a Girl Scout. 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