Here Are Top Five Psychological Studies On Humanity

It's simple to get disappointed and negative about people after reading the news. Recent psychological research suggests that people are not always as egotistical or greedy as they appear to be. Most individuals desire to help others, and doing so makes people's lives more rewarding, according to a growing body of studies. Following are the finding of psychological studies that can make a person feel good:

 

You may have seen about "pay it forward" chains in the news: when someone does a tiny favor for them, they are inclined to do the same for someone else. According to a study conducted by experts at Northeastern University, when someone else helps them, individuals truly do want to pay it forward because they are appreciative. Halfway through the trial, participants in this experiment were supposed to run into a computer issue. The subject spent more time helping a different person with a different task after someone else fixed their computer. In other words, our desire to serve others is sparked when we are appreciative of the compassion of others.

Participants in a study by psychologist Elizabeth Dunn and her colleagues were given a small sum of money ($5) to use as they pleased. With one crucial restriction: Half of the participants had to use the money for themselves, while the other half had to use it for someone else. Participants were free to use the money anyway they pleased. The researchers discovered when they checked in with the participants at the end of the day, the people who spent the money on someone else were really happier than the people who spent the money on themselves.

 

The psychologist Carol Ryff is renowned for her research on what is referred to as eudaimonic well-being, or our perception of the value and purpose of life. According to Ryff, eudaimonic well-being is significantly influenced by our interpersonal connections. This is supported by a 2015 study, in which participants who reported feeling more purpose and meaning in their life were more likely to spend more time assisting others. The same study discovered that after writing a letter of gratitude to someone else, participants had a better feeling of purpose. According to this study, making the effort to help someone else or show thanks to someone else can truly deepen the meaning of life.

 

The psychologist Stephanie Brown and her associates looked into the possibility that helping others can increase lifespan. She inquired about the members' time commitment to volunteering. She discovered that over a period of five years, people who volunteered the most frequently had the lowest mortality rates. In other words, it would seem that individuals who assist others also assist themselves. Given that the majority of Americans provide assistance to others in some capacity, it would appear that many people would gain from this. In 2013, one-fourth of individuals participated in volunteer work, and the majority of adults spent time voluntarily assisting others.

 

Carol Dweck of Stanford University has studied mindsets extensively. People with a "growth mindset" think they can get better at something with practice, whereas those with a "fixed mentality" believe that their abilities are largely unchangeable. When people believe they can improve at something, they frequently end up making more improvements over time, according to Dweck, who has discovered that these attitudes have a tendency to become self-fulfilling prophecies. It appears that our thinking also has an impact on our capacity for empathy.

 

Researchers discovered that mindsets may even influence how compassionate we are in a number of experiments. In situations when empathy might have been more challenging for them, participants who were encouraged to adopt "growth mindsets"—that is, to believe it is possible to become more empathetic—invested more time and effort into attempting to sympathize with others. We all have the capability to become more sympathetic, as stated in a New York Times opinion post about empathy, thus empathy is not something that only a select few people possess.

 

Despite the fact that it is sometimes simple to lose hope in humanity, psychological research reveals that this is not a whole picture of the species. The evidence instead points to our desire to be of service to others and our ability to develop more empathy. In fact, studies have shown that giving to others makes us happy and makes us feel as though our lives are more fulfilled.