Surprising new scientific research conducted at many of the nation’s top universities—from the likes of Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and the University of Chicago—now offers convincing evidence of the life-enhancing benefits of giving, kindness, and compassion.  These studies powerfully confirm that giving has a substantial protective effect on mental and physical well-being over a lifetime.  Giving is powerful medicine, and it’s available to every single one of us.

The far-reaching study results reported by the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, run by bioethicist Dr. Stephen Post, are revealed in a ground-breaking new book, WHY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE (Broadway Books, May 2007), written by Post and science journalist Jill Neimark.  In WHY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, the exciting new research shows that when we give of ourselves, especially if we start young, everything from life-satisfaction to self-realization and physical health is significantly affected.  Mortality is delayed, depression is reduced, and well-being and good fortune are increased.

The remarkable findings include a fifty-year study indicating that people who are “giving” during their high school years have better physical and mental health throughout their lives.  They even reveal that giving protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease!  Other studies also demonstrate that people of all ages that help others on a regular basis, even in small ways, feel the happiest.

Dr. Post and Jill Neimark show how giving unlocks the doors to health, happiness, and a longer life by weaving the growing new science of love and giving with profoundly moving real-life stories.  In WHY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, readers will find:

• Susie Kraubacher, a former Playboy model, who after finding faith in Christ practices the Way of Compassion by running three orphanages in Haiti which house and feed 2,300 children
• A Christian husband who practices the Way of Loyalty by still cherishing the wife of his youth after 70 years of marriage
• Christian physician Richard Fratianne, known as “ Dr. Frat,” who practices and teaches agape love to a young burn survivor with the Way of Celebration by continuing to enjoy the simple things of life after being nearly burned to death and enduring 12 surgeries, prosthetic legs, and months of therapy
• Dr. Otis Moss Jr., a renowned African American pastor, who learned the Way of Courage when he became a 1960’s leader of the sit-in movement in Atlanta and risked his life and the lives of those he led by practicing agape love through non-violent activism

Providing the most advanced self-help scale of any popular book, WHY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE gives readers ten ways to give of themselves, in four areas of life, proven by science to improve health and even add to life expectancy.  The one-of-a-kind “Love and Longevity Scale” scores readers on all ten ways, from volunteering to listening, loyalty to forgiveness, and celebration to standing up for what you believe. 

Together both Post and Neimark proclaim they have one simple message to offer: giving is the most potent force on the planet.  Giving is the one kind of love you can count on, because you can always choose it; it’s always within your power to give.  Giving will protect you your whole life long.

Beginning in April, whygoodthingshappen.com will begin offering a monthly quiz to help readers create a personalized plan for a more generous life by celebrating the 10 ways of love.

WHY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE: How Daily Giving Is the Key to Health, Happiness, and a Long Life © Copyright 2011 by Stephen Post, Ph.D. and Jill Neimark. Reprinted with permission by Broadway Books . All rights reserved.