Along with a healthy diet, a positive attitude, regular exercise, and a strong social support system can add years to your life. It is not just about receiving emotional support.

According to a new research from the University of Basel in Switzerland, helping and supporting others may be the key to live a longer and healthier life.

The discoveries, which were published in the journal named ‘Evolution and Human Behavior,’ showed that grandparents who care for their grandchildren, as well as older people who care for others within their social networks, enjoy significantly longer survivals.

The researchers analysed the longevity and caregiving habits of more than 500 people between the ages of 70 and 103 using data from the Berlin Aging Study, which is a multidisciplinary investigation of old people aged 70 to over 100 years who live in former West Berlin. The study did not look at primary caregivers, instead of comparing grandparents who acted as occasional caregivers with those who did not, in addition to older adults who did not have children or grandchildren but cared for people within their social network. Those who did not have a role helping others were significantly more likely to have died within just five years of the initial testing period. This effect also extended beyond family bonds. Childless older adults who provided emotional support to others within their social network lived for an extra seven years on average, while childless older adults who did not report helping or supporting others lived for only an extra four years on average.

But, it is important to note that too much caregiving often has just the opposite effect. There is a clear link between primary caregiving and a number of negative physical and mental health consequences, often resulting from high levels of chronic stress.

Dr Ralph Hertwig, a psychologist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany, said in a press release, ‘Helping shouldn’t be misunderstood as a solution for a longer life. A moderate level of caregiving involvement does seem to have positive effects on health. But, more intense involvement causes stress, which has negative effects on physical and mental health.’

Lead author Dr Sonja Hilbrand explains, ‘It seems plausible that the development of parents’ and grandparents’ prosocial behaviour toward their kin left its imprint on the human body, in terms of a neural and hormonal system that subsequently laid the foundation for the evolution of cooperation and altruistic behaviour towards non-kin.’

There may be an evolutionary explanation as to why we are rewarded for supporting others, within both our own family and the larger social community. In other words, taking care of others may be hard-wired into the human brain.

Be good to yourself and your own health, try being good to others.

(This is a compilation from The Huffington Post, BASE, and Evolution and Human Behavior)