(HealthDayNews) -- Retired seniors often have more time than money to give to worthy causes. Those who contribute their time get a wonderful reward: a heightened sense of psychological and physical well-being, according to a Cornell University study.
Reporting on the study, SeniorMag.com concluded that volunteering works for retired older folks because it connects them socially and provides routines, rituals and new or expanded roles in lives now largely devoid of them.
"The fact that the still-employed do not reap the same kind of benefits from volunteering as do the retired suggests that community participation compensates for the social and psychological benefits of employment among retirees," says Cornell sociologist Phyllis Moen, who led the study.
"Since paid work seems to give workers a sense of purpose and well-being in the prime adult years, our study suggests that volunteering in community organizations does the same for retirees," she adds.
