David:     Would you believe that this December I once again spent almost $300 ordering individually wrapped cookies for the grandchildren in our family, most of whom are now adults. And also, for adult friends I see on a regular basis like bank clerks, UPS personnel, post office employees, barbers, so on. They all seem to look forward to me coming by with these individually wrapped Christmas cookies. “Oh, it’s Dr. Mains  and you’ve got those great cookies with him.”

Giving cookies is a tradition with me. One mission group I support, I send a big box of about 100 cookies every year. They also send me a thank you sign by all the American Headquarters staff, and they all have their own personal comments to make and it just brings great joy to me.

Karen:     Now your response of great joy is what the social scientists who study what the impact of doing good for others call a helper’s high.

David:     Okay, we’ll talk about a helper’s high.

Karen:     They maintain that doing good for others is actually one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Doing good not only makes us feel good, but it also encourages our body to be more healthy as well.

Intro:      Welcome to the Before We Go Podcast featuring Dr. David Mains and his wife noted author Karen Mains. Here’s David and Karen Mains.

David:     Let’s put into a sentence what it is that we’re talking about, Karen. Discovering the healing power of doing good for others can dramatically change the life of practitioners for the better. So that’s what we’re hoping Will accomplish today that people will think about doing good for others.

Karen:     And I have a personal illustration out of my own life. I was at Goodwill which was one of my favorite places to go on a Wednesday when the prices are all knocked down. I mean, I’m so cheap. Even at Goodwill, I wait for certain color tags, 50% off.

David:     I know you got it all figured out.

Karen:     I got it all figured out. Walked in and there were these wooden boxes without a lid, 12 inches long and maybe 6 or 7 inches wide. And they were so nice. So, there were 22 of them.

David:     But you had no idea you wanted boxes before you went there.

Karen:     I had no idea. So, I took them up to the counter and she actually reduced them because it was a Wednesday to a dollar a box. So, I got 22 of these beautiful wooden boxes.

David:     Wooden boxes. Yeah, they’re about I would say they’re like 8 inches high.

Karen:     Yeah. So, now what are you going to do with 22 boxes?

David:     I have no idea.

Karen:     You have to fill them of course. So, I started to bake up little pumpkin bread. Then I thought, well, what else I can put in here? I’ll be one likes chocolate. So, I got chocolate candies and then peppermint candies and lots of little gifts that were not food related but were kind of holiday.

David:     I know I had a conflict with you. I wanted some of the peanut brittle and you wouldn’t let me touch it.

Karen:     I get your hands. That’s for the boxes.

David:     That was kind of dirty because you didn’t know who you were going to give these boxes to.

Karen:     I didn’t know who I was going to give the boxes to. But it was fun putting them together and they looked great. And so, I walked one box back to our neighbors across the yard. We have such lovely neighbors. They have three little girls who we adore, and they come over and play in our yard and jump on our trampoline. I just love to hear them laughing.

So, I took a box back to her and then I thought, okay, well, you know what? We’re attending a new church. It’s a small church. The staff is bi-vocational. So, they’re working full-time jobs and then they planted this church.

David:     This is your Christmas cookie story, right? Why am I feeling guilty? You’re worse than I am.

Karen:     So, we took the boxes back. Oh, my goodness, the response to these beautiful boxes. There were like nine of them. So, then I asked the church secretary distribute it to.

David:     The nine were the ones you took to the church.

Karen:     Yeah.

David:     And that hasn’t eliminated the other.

Karen:     Well, there are a few lefts. But anyway, that gives the story of Helper’s High was so much fun finding the box. And then thinking, “Well, what am I going to put in the boxes?” And then finding all these things to put in the boxes. It was just like a big treasure hunt almost, you know, all I can use that in this package of peanuts would be fun. And, you know, just great. And then taking it over and heavy.

David:     You put printed things in there.

Karen:     We had a couple of books from our store. We have a lot of things in storage that we’ve done in the past. One was a guide to the Bible study on practicing hospitality. Oh, things like that. You know, it was just a lot of fun.

David:     I want you, because I’m not sure that I ever heard of this, to define a helper’s high.

Karen:     Okay.

David:     Now, where did you get that from?

Karen:     This is a sociological study of people who do good. And it’s from the book, The Healing Power of Doing Good by Alan Luks, L-U-K-S. He’s a social scientist who began to conduct studies of what happens when people do good. What are their feelings afterwards? It was a very intensive long-range study with literally hundreds of people. And they discovered that when people did good for other folk, often not expecting anything in return, you know, it was just kind of an act of compassion or mercy or kindness. They came away feeling as good as the people that they had done things for.

David:     And these didn’t necessarily have to be cookies or boxes. Could be going to a mission and helping.

Karen:     Going to volunteer work. I mean, that’s actually the way the book concludes. And particularly for people over 60, and you and I have been talking about this because we’re both over 60.

David:     Way over.

Karen:     Are there places where we could volunteer at this time in our life? We don’t have the schedule that we used to have. We don’t have the travel schedule that we used to have. Even though we feel like we have diminished strength in some ways, there are places where we could volunteer. And he has a whole list at the back of his book of places where people volunteer.

David:     Okay. In the Helper’s High, is that a reality, or is it?

Karen:     They can examine people. I don’t want to go through all that technology, but they can examine people. And there are positive benefits to the body. Physical benefits that can be measured by doing physical exams with people who do Helper’s High.

David:     You were talking endorphins and your body physically responds in a positive way. Is that fair?

Karen:     Yeah.

David:     That’s what I get out of giving those cookies away. When you use that term, all of a sudden, I said, “Hey, that’s what I feel!” I feel this great sense of well-being.

Karen:     Oh, that’s lovely, David.

David:     And it doesn’t really matter how the people respond. It just that somehow inside of me, there’s a sense that says, “Wow, this is neat. I like this.” So even though I blow $300.

Karen:     You’re having fun.

David:     When I call him to make my order to the cookie company, even then I start getting happy about it. So that’s the Helper’s High. And that’s actually a term he uses.

Karen:     Yes. And it’s measurable. So let me just read a little bit of what he concludes in his book.

David:     I just want to say I’ve never seen you so happy as with your Helper’s High with all those boxes. I thought the boxes were kind of dumb, to be honest with you.

Karen:     Without the things in them, they felt a little dumb too.

David:     Well, I didn’t foresee that. And it’s a little resentful because you can only carry one at a time. And you took, I don’t know, you took a lot of them. I would say eight or nine into that church. I said, “Who are you going to give them to?” I don’t know.

Karen:     Let the church secretary figure that one out.

David:     Anyway, but you were happy as I’ll get it. Now we’re into December when people think about giving. And a lot of times they’re not thinking about “How happy this is going to make me.”

Karen:     It’s an obligation.

David:     It’s an obligation. And it’s a busy time. And just, we just got to get through this somehow. And I’m spending all kinds of money and interest. But you say if we do this right, there’s going to be that Helper’s High. And you can kind of look for it. Now that’s a neat message to give to people. And I don’t know if they believe that what we’re talking about is true, but I find that it’s true and you find that it’s true. And now we’re trying to share that with others.

Karen:     The book, which is called The Healing Power of Doing Good, this is in the introduction, will demonstrate through medical and survey data, as well as through the firsthand stories of individual helpers, that this health improvement, I mean, it’s not just feeling good. It’s real health improvement. It is a real and reliable phenomenon and that it works to improve physical and psychological health, as well as enhancing feelings of spiritual well-being. My research has shown that it is the process of helping without regard to its outcome, that is the healing factor.

So, he then makes a list of the things that they’ve discovered. The Healthy Helping Syndrome has different phases. A total of 95% of the volunteers reported that personal helping on a regular basis gives them an immediate physical feel-good sensation, which he calls Helper’s High. The High has clear and definite components. You can measure it and then see if other people have these responses.

Phase two of the Healthy Helping Syndrome brings a sense of calmness. That’s not just the physical feeling that we’re describing, a feeling good, you know, warm, and like you’ve done something that you should have done and, you know, whatever. People who experience the Healthy Helping Syndrome have perceived better health. They have health giving ramifications that last.

David:     Basically, this is affirming all of the teachings of Jesus.

Karen:     Absolutely does. In fact, he makes that point in the book.

David:     Really?

Karen:     Yes, as he goes on that this is really a Christian concept or a faith-based concept. The health benefit returns whenever the helping act is remembered. So, it’s not just the act itself and that’s exactly what you’re talking about. You feel good about giving those cookies to those people.

David:     It’s interesting, Karen. I’m thinking back years and years ago. The first church I worked in, I worked as a youth pastor. And one of the guys who helped with the youth as a volunteer, I know his name, but I won’t necessarily name it, he was very busy. And yet he helped with the young people of the church and gave in unstintingly. And on top of that, once a week he would go into the city and work at a mission.

I thought, how does he keep up with all of this? But he was the most pleasant, always smiling, and always with a good word. It was amazing to me. And I look back on that, and I think he had a healthy dose of this happiness high, or whatever. It just marked who he was. I never thought of it at the time. This is like a whole new concept to me. Why am I so happy? The cookies came whole good.

Karen:     You get to get a helper’s high.

David:     It’s not necessarily why you do it, but it’s a good thing.

Karen:     Okay. Phase two of the Healthy Helping Syndrome brings a sense of calmness. People who experience the Healthy Helping Syndrome have better perceived health. They feel better, but the blood pressure goes down. Things that can be measured.

David:     Yeah, okay. That is really neat. It is really neat.

Karen:     The health benefit returns whenever the helping act is remembered. We’ve had a couple of these before. We’re just repeating. The greater the frequency of volunteering, the greater the health benefits. The more you do, the better physical health you achieve from having done good. Personal contact with the people being helped is important.

Now, this is important. We all send money gifts in the mail to not-for-profit organizations who need help. But the personal contact that comes from this kind of volunteering, helping people and the ones who are helping them, is really important. It’s that personal contact. Helper’s high results, most from helping people we don’t know. We all do things for our family and love to do it. But this high comes from helping strangers we don’t know.

David:     I would say it could work when you do it for the family.

Karen:     You can,

David:     But… It could be an obligation. I’ve got these many names on the list. I’ve got to buy a present for whatever. That’s one way. The other is, what can I give to so-and-so that would just be exactly right for that person and for me and then that great joy that comes as a result of it.

Karen:     But what they’re saying in this, just as doing this for people you don’t know, creates this helper’s high. That’s probably just as intense as what you feel for your family.

David:     It’s when you see the advertisement on television, Karen, and they show how these kids with a cleft lip, they show the doctor coming in and you want to be a part of that. And when the ad comes on the next time and you’ve actually sent in a donation or a monthly pledge, whatever, you identify with it. And it makes you feel good. You’re doing a part of what is a very positive thing in terms of the world.

Karen:     The last result of their study. Men and women have an equal opportunity to benefit from this high. Men feel as much the helper’s high as women do. It’s not sexually allocated at all.

David:     That’s good to know. It means that you can get a high. It won’t be as good as my cookie high, but you can still get a high from your box. It’s just great.

Karen:     So, let me give you some of the specifics that these people have found physically that are the physical aspect, particularly for people who have health problems. Now, this is really interesting. There is the possibility of strengthening immune system activity. So, when you do good for others and you have this helper’s high, it starts whatever the endorphins are in our body. I mentioned those a lot. I’m not sure I know what they are.

David:     You know, it’s because they’re not in the Bible that much.

Karen:     They increase their activity, decrease both the intensity and the awareness of physical pain. So, if people have physical pain from something they’re suffering and they do good for others, it will decrease both the intensity and the awareness of that pain.

Isn’t that extraordinary? Activation of the emotions that are vital to maintenance of good health. So, when we do good for others, that feel good feeling that we have about, that activates healthiness within ourselves. That gives our body the potential to act more completely in its own healing process. You’ve heard me say a lot of times, if God made our body, I’m convinced that the healing potential is within all of our bodies of achieving healing. We just don’t know how to access it. Christ did know how to access it.

Then two more points. Reduction of the incidence of attitudes such as chronic hostility, and they have a whole section in here on what hostility that emotion does negatively to your body. Reduction of the incidence of attitudes such as chronic hostility that negatively arouse and damage the body. So those are reduced. And last of all, the multiple benefits to the body system provided by stress relief.

So, when we relieve the stress that we’re feeling too much work to do, things going wrong, all the things that keep us awake at night, and we combat it with this doing good approach for others, we make them the focus of our thinking. Then all of a sudden that stress process is also reduced in us.

David:     I do want to read one scripture.  This is out of Isaiah, believe it or not. When you act as God wants you to act, which includes what you’re talking about. Isaiah says, “You will be like a well-watered garden; like a spring whose waters never fail.” So, that’s just a neat thing. So,

Karen:     The passage goes on and on with one thing after another. Right?

David:     Yeah. Okay. I have questions here.  When you do kindness for people, that’s to your benefit. When you are grumpy and grouchy and whatever, that’s to your disadvantage. What happens when a grumpy grouchy people is going to receive something good from somebody else, which side wins? I don’t know because there have to be people who don’t appreciate what’s going on. Especially people who are hurting in some way. You do something gracious, and their response is just like, yeah, thank you.

Karen:     Well, often people who have been very wounded are unable to trust others at all, that their intents are good. So, you do sometimes get negative responses when you do good things for people, or they don’t act appropriately. But David, the point of all this is you are not doing these good things to other people to get anything from them. It’s doing the act of good simply because it’s a good thing to do. If what we took nine boxes over the church, I had one thank you note.

David:     But there was a neat thank you note.

Karen:     It was a lovely thank you note. And I wasn’t even looking for that, you know, I mean, but someone sat down and took the time to write, which I thought was remarkable, but you don’t do it for thanks or gratitude or to boost your ego. You do it simply because it’s a good thing to do. And I think that frankly it is the scriptural approach. Let’s think about this. Let’s think of every Christian in the world, those who say they follow Christ, making a point this year until the end of the year to do simply good deeds for strangers where there is no expectation of return or even response. What will that do in our world? I mean, it could do extraordinary things as far as changing the emotional and psychological complexion of our country and our world.

David:     I think that’s very well said. You have so many ideas you’re giving out that I don’t get to connect my ideas because one of the places where I’ve given cookies for about a year and a half, one of the guys is to be very honest, he’s a grump. Two of the people, they’re always receptive. “Can I do anything for you? Can I go out and bring some of the boxes in from your car?” This guy never does that. I’m starting to see him come around. When a grandchild has a birthday, they pretty much know they’re going to get cookies from me and then I get an extra box and then I take it around to people.

Karen:     Well, you sometimes take that grandchild with you so they will get into the habit of giving away too.

David:     Yeah. The last time I took a grandchild, is the youngest of the grandchildren. She’s a cute little gal and we went in, and she had the box. She said, “These are for you. You can take two if you’d like.” It was very cute. And she got a better response than I normally get when I go in there. But I am seeing this person change, which is neat. So, I would like it that we could solve the problem of the grumps of the world. But I’m not sure that’s the motivation behind what we’re doing. It’s kind of a self-serving thing the way we’re saying. And that’s not exactly Christian either. But I think it’s a win-win, you know, and in time, this guy, I’m just continue work on him and I have to remind myself, I’m not doing this so that he will benefit. I’m doing this so I will benefit. Which is kind of a neat thing. Did we get everything into ascendance? I think I did, but I will give a sentence just in case. All right?

Discovering the healing power of doing good for others can dramatically change the life of practitioners for the better. So, it’s not changing the people you do it for, although it will have an effect that way usually, but it’s for your own sake. This is a beneficial thing for me to do on my behalf as well as for these people to whom I am reaching out.

Okay. Do you think we captured someone’s attention?

Karen:     I think we said what we wanted to say.

David:     Yeah, we did. And maybe it came very fast, but kind of noodle on this today. Okay. Just kind of mull it over and say, “I wonder if that’s true.” And then you try it out. And at the point where you’re actually seeing it happen and you say, “Golly, I feel good today,” Then begin to make it a part of the practice of your life. That’s what we’re saying. Even during these very busy pre-Christmas days that we go through, there were a thousand things to do. It just kind of adds that wonderful special touch that we are endorsing.

Outgo:     You’ve been listening to the Before We Go podcast. And if you would like to write to us, please send us an email at the following address, hosts@beforewego.show. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please remember to rate, review, and share on whatever platform you listen. This podcast is copyright 2022 by Mainstay Ministries, Post Office Box 30, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.