THE INSPIRATIONAL STUDY: WHY DO PEOPLE HELP EACH OTHER?

While most of us help each other regularly, few of us stop to consider why we do it. Why do we help those in need? And more importantly, are we helping them because we want to, or because we need to help others in order to help ourselves?
It seems unlikely that as you’re donating a dollar to charity, you’ll stop to consider these questions- let alone take the time to try and answer them. For this reason, we’ve compiled a number of different reasons and scenarios that seem to explain why people help each other.
Helping each other, as it turns out, affects pretty much every area of our day to day lives. Family, health, education and work all have some element of help that is pretty much necessary to the efficient function of these systems. However, this list encompasses the primary and most common reasons: why do people help each other?

1. BECAUSE IT CAN INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY AT WORK.
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   One of the first questions asked in a standard interview is “Do you work well in a team?”. It’s a tiresome question, and probably one you’ve had to answer countless times in your life, but this doesn’t make it any less relevant. Because what it actually means is, can you help other people? And, can you let them help you?
   Your answer, for one, proves to employers that you’re cooperative and friendly- which is key to you establishing good relationships with other employees. But more importantly, it suggests that you have the ability to help others, which in turn can maximize productivity in the workplace.
   So how can helping each other improve productivity? Well, for example, according to surveys conducted by ClearCompany: 90% of employees believe that “decision makers should seek other opinions before making final decisions”.
   This means that 90% of employees believe that, to a degree, some of the decisions being made by their colleagues are bad. Which also means that if coworkers helped each other make decisions, then they could ensure that the absolute best decision is made- which in turn could improve the productivity and subsequent success of a business.
   What’s more, helping colleagues on an emotional level can also improve work performance. In fact, according to the Alberta Health Services , supporting your coworkers with emotional problems can prevent them from lowering their work performance.
   This means that in addition to providing emotional support to others, which in itself can be rewarding, your also helping your business or your boss’s business succeed by ensuring that all employees are working efficiently.

2. BECAUSE IT CAN HELP YOU LEARN
   

Study groups are a popular option for college and high school students, and for good reason. Many teaching professionals believe that study groups can create a solid support system, which can reduce the stress of sitting exams, and yield better results for everyone involved.
A great thing about study groups is that they rely on reciprocity. You contribute your ideas, which help someone else, and they in turn contribute theirs- which can help you. This means that not only are you explaining what you know to other people, which is a good way to revise yourself, but you’re also exposed to different perspectives and useful explanations that can help you learn.
In fact, research conducted by the University of London suggests that working in groups can significantly raise “levels of achievement” and that it doubles students’ “active engagement in learning”.

What this reinforces, is the idea that working in a dynamic where you’re helping others can actually help you. Not only can you achieve more, but you can also engage and participate more in your education- which can provide endless benefits for you as a student.

1. BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD
   In an article published by BestHealthMag, writer Lisa Bendell references a study performed by York University, in which a number of candidates were asked to act in a helpful way towards other people. After 6 months, results suggested that those that consciously helped others were happier and healthier than those that didn’t change their behavior.
   So what does this mean? Well, it means that helping other people can benefit you both mentally and physically. This, in turn, means that you can avoid conditions like depression and anxiety; simply by following your natural instinct to help those in need.
   The reason why it can improve your health is, as of yet, unclear. But researchers have their theories. Some experts believe that the happiness you feel comes from the “warm glow” we experience when giving, and social psychologists believe that this glow is a driving factor that makes people more charitable.
   In fact, statistics show that in 2009, over 90% of average households in Northern America donated $1600 dollars or more to nonprofit organizations- many of them anonymously. This seems to suggest that people genuinely feel happier and healthier when they help others, or that they at least benefit in some way. If not, why would 90% of us do it?