Helper’s High

The Institute for Research into Unlimited Love (IRUL) wonders why people feel good about doing good.

It feels good to do good.

There’s no doubt about it, according to Stephanie Hagyard.

Stephanie’s a young woman who, every Monday night, after a long day at an insurance brokerage in Boston, serves dinner at a drop-in center for people with AIDS. Although she works hard in the kitchen, she leaves this volunteer gig feeling refreshed. “I feel better if I’m doing something good,” she says. Although feeling better is not the main reason she volunteers, it’s definitely a satisfying side effect.

“Helper’s high” — that’s what some people call this feeling of euphoria. Maybe you’ve experienced it yourself after an act of sacrificial service. Although very little scientific work has been done to uncover the biology of good deeds, some researchers are now suggesting that positive social contacts release feel-good hormones called endorphins.

“Love your neighbor,” said Jesus to the Pharisees in our text for today...