Why Is It Better To Give Then Receive?

"A very important finding comes from Stephanie Brown and her colleagues at the University of Michigan: giving support to others is more important to longevity than receiving support. She found that elderly individuals who game little emotional or practical support to others were more than twice as likely to die during the five years she followed them compared to people who gave to others. Even accounting for initial health and other factors, people who gave to a spouse, to friends, and to neighbors were blessed with greater longevity."

I suppose that ties in with the idea of having a purpose in life. We can control whether or not we help others, and not whether someone helps us. So if our purpose is to help others, then our lives are better... and longer. In a sense, when we give to others, we're giving to ourselves too.