You might think that your brain is the last place you’d look for ways to give back. After all, it’s not like you can take a class or volunteer in neuroscience. But whatever your mind doesn’t offer you directly, it almost certainly helps indirectly. When you give of yourself — through service to others, generosity of spirit, and other positive actions — you positively impact your own life and the lives of those around you. And that includes your brain. There are several ways that giving back to others can help increase your serotonin levels in the brain... For most people, giving feels good because it makes us feel good about ourselves.

Service to Others Helps Increase Serotonin

When we help others, we increase our feelings of happiness and well-being. In addition to increasing serotonin, helping others also decreases cortisol, the main stress hormone. Helping others also increases dopamine, another “feel good” hormone that’s associated with pleasure and reward. And it increases oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone” because it’s involved in feelings of connection and trust. All of these changes in your brain are associated with higher serotonin levels.

When you’re helping others, you’re using your brain’s natural reward system to create positive feelings. Studies have found that helping others activates the same regions of the brain that are involved in the pleasurable things we do for ourselves, like eating chocolate or having sex. Giving to others taps into the same dopamine reward system that’s responsible for our sense of satisfaction and well-being.

Helping Others Increases GABA

Besides helping you increase serotonin, helping others can also help you increase GABA, the neurotransmitter that’s associated with feelings of serenity and calm. Studies have found that people who are altruistic — who help others — have higher levels of GABA in their brains. And when researchers have given GABA to people who don’t naturally have a high amount of it, the recipients also become more altruistic.

Helping others can also help you increase serotonin levels and reduce cortisol by reducing stress. Doing things that help reduce stress and improve your mood, such as volunteering or donating, can actually change the structure of your brain, making it more resilient and capable of dealing with future stress.

Giving to Animals Helps Increase Serotonin

If you want to increase serotonin and GABA, one easy way to do it is to adopt or rescue a pet. Pet owners have been shown to have increased levels of serotonin, along with decreased levels of cortisol. Studies have also found that the more you care for your pet, the more serotonin you’re likely to have in your brain.

Giving to animals or taking care of them can also increase dopamine, making you feel happy and satisfied. And giving to animals can increase oxytocin, which makes you feel more connected to others and has been associated with reduced anxiety and depression.

Giving to Your Community Helps Increase Serotonin

Connecting with your community can look different for everyone. Some ideas may be: volunteering at a soup kitchen, tutoring kids, babysitting for a neighbor, cleaning up an abandoned lot, or picking up trash on the sidewalk. Donating to a local charity is also a way to give back, especially if you don't have a lot of free time for in-person acts.

All of these acts of kindness that benefit others can also help increase your GABA and reduce cortisol. Studies have found that people who volunteer or donate — have reduced levels of cortisol and higher levels of GABA/ serotonin/ dopamine than people who don’t give. And giving to others can increase oxytocin, making you feel more connected to others, reducing anxiety and depression, and helping you to feel more satisfied and happier overall.

Giving to others is a great way to increase all of the feel-good chems in your brain...serotonin, GABA, dopamine, and oxytocin while reducing cortisol. If you want to increase these feel-good chemicals, try giving! Let us know what you think. And...if you're uncertain about where you can give, visit here to increase those neurotransmitters AND help a child or adult receive services they are in need of. We are happy to share a non-identifying update with you, if you'd like to know who you are helping.