Sure, the holidays are prime time for volunteering—food banks get packed with helpers, and everyone's in that giving spirit between Thanksgiving and New Year's. But honestly? Any time is a good time to give back.
Take Alfred Del Grosso. This retired chemist volunteers at a food bank in Silver Spring, Maryland, every week, helping out during the lunch rush. "I feel more connected to the broader community," he says. And that's not all—most Thursdays, you'll find him clearing trails with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Pretty cool way to spend retirement, right?
It's Actually Built Into Us
Here's the thing: scientists who study how humans evolved say that helping others is basically hardwired into us. When we're grateful for what we have, it naturally makes us want to pay it forward.
Sarah Schnitker, a psychologist at Baylor University, puts it nicely: "There's a nice upwards reciprocal spiral between gratitude and generosity." And yeah, the holidays definitely amplify that feeling.
It's Not Just a Western Thing
Pretty much every culture has some kind of giving season. Hindus have Diwali—all those lights and delicious food, plus gift-giving to show appreciation. Muslims observe Ramadan, which wraps up with Eid al-Fitr and emphasizes charity and reflection. Buddhist traditions stress gratitude too.
The point of all these celebrations? They tap into our natural ability to work together. As Amrisha Vaish, a psychologist at the University of Virginia, explains it, humans survived and thrived because we learned to cooperate. We don't have sharp claws or super speed—our superpower is teamwork.
Okay, But We're Not Perfect
Let's be real: humans can be selfish too. We're not always generous and cooperative. Even Darwin noticed this tension between looking out for ourselves and helping others. Life's complicated like that.
But here's what's cool—when we take a moment to appreciate what we have and see others doing good things, it brings out our better side.
The Feel-Good Factor
Volunteering isn't just good for the people you help—it's great for you too. Jenae Nelson, a psychologist at Brigham Young University, says giving back increases your sense of meaning and purpose.
There's even something called the "helper's high"—that quick dopamine rush you get from doing something good. But the real reward goes deeper. It helps you feel like your life has coherence and meaning.
Mia Thelen gets it. After retiring as a nurse in Michigan, she started volunteering with the American Red Cross. Started small with answering phones during blood drives, now she's doing bigger organizational stuff. "It's a good way to spend your time, making the lives of others a little easier," she says. Plus, she's picking up new computer and communication skills while hanging out with awesome co-volunteers.
Don't Forget the Simple Stuff
Even sending holiday cards counts! Reaching out to old friends strengthens social connections, even though we're often weirdly hesitant to do it. Social psychologist Lara Aknin's research shows that people worry about being a burden when reaching out, but the person on the receiving end almost always finds it positive.
So go ahead—write those cards, make those calls. Use the holidays as your excuse to reconnect over a laugh or a warm drink. Your friends will be happy you did.
The holiday season is a time for giving thanks, giving gifts — and for many, a time for giving back.
Food banks, services that deliver meals to seniors, and other U.S. charities typically see a surge in volunteering between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. But there are good reasons to volunteer at any time of the year.
Alfred Del Grosso volunteers weekly to work the lunch shift at Shepherd’s Table, a food bank in Silver Spring, Maryland. “I feel more connected to the broader community,” he said.
Most Thursdays, the retired chemist from Kensington, Maryland, also lends an unpaid hand to help clear fallen trees and brush from local trails with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. “It’s mostly volunteers who help maintain the trails,” he said.
Researchers who study human evolution and social psychology say that giving back is deeply rooted in human nature. Volunteers say they feel closer ties to the communities they serve.
“When we feel grateful for all we have, that motivates us to do good things for other people who have helped us, and also to do good things for new people,” said Sarah Schnitker, a psychologist at Baylor University.
“There’s a nice upwards reciprocal spiral between gratitude and generosity,” often enhanced at holiday times, she said.
For many in the U.S., the season most associated with giving, receiving and volunteering runs from Thanksgiving through Hanukkah and Christmas to New Year’s.
But around the world, a giving season or festival is present in many cultures, said Amrisha Vaish, a developmental psychologist at the University of Virginia.
“Nearly all cultures have events or public festivals that allow people to express gratitude,” she said. “In Hinduism, Divali is a time of lights and festiveness and good eating, but also a time in which people give gifts to really express what people have meant to them.”
For Muslims, Ramadan, which ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, is a time for reflection, gratitude, and acts of charity. Many Buddhist traditions also emphasize gratitude.
The common purpose of such seasons, which also include non-religious acts of service, is to reinforce our natural cooperative tendencies, Vaish said.
“In human evolutionary history over hundreds of thousands of years, we’ve had to become cooperative to work together and survive as a species,” she said.
“We don’t have sharp claws, high speed, or many other natural abilities. But what we do have is that we’re super cooperators; we can do more in groups than alone.”
Of course, humans aren’t always cooperative and generous — sometimes we’re also selfish and stubborn.
The tension between selfishness and altruism was recognized even by Darwin, said Michael Tomasello, a psychologist at Duke University. “That’s why life is so complicated. We have all these motives mapped together.”
But reflecting with gratitude on what we have, and seeing others do good, can encourage our most generous tendencies, experts say.
On an individual level, “giving, volunteering, and generosity can increase our sense of meaning and purpose in life,” said Jenae Nelson, a developmental psychologist at Brigham Young University
“There’s a quick dopamine hit sometimes called the ‘helpers high.’ But there’s also that deeper reward of helping us to establish purpose and meaning,” she said. “By helping other people and believing that small acts can change the world, you can bring coherence to your own life.”
After Mia Thelen retired as a nurse in Owosso, Michigan, she began volunteering for the American Red Cross, starting out by minding the office phones during blood drives before gradually taking on more organizational and administrative responsibilities.
“It’s a good way to spend your time, making the lives of others a little easier,” Thelen said. “I wanted to do something that helps the community.”
“And I’m learning a lot: learning computer skills, learning communication skills. I have great co-volunteers.” She enjoys feeling more connected with her neighbors.
Another common holiday tradition — sending greeting cards to family and old friends — also provides a chance to enhance or renew social ties, which people are often surprisingly reluctant to do, said Lara Aknin, a social psychologist at Simon Fraser University.
Her research has shown that “people are actually hesitant to reach out to old friends, they worry about being a burden or an inconvenience,” she said. But on the flip side, “people who’ve just heard from old friends report it as a really positive experience.”
So go ahead and write those cards or make those phone calls, she said. Use the holidays as an excuse to reconnect and share a laugh or a warm mulled drink.